Editor:
Another project without proper public consultation?
I just finished reading the story "New West aims to create 26 corridors for cyclists in $36-million plan" in your newsletter.
My family has been New Westminster residents since 1998. We have been increasingly more angered over the term of this last mayor and council and their complete disconnection from the reality that the residents of this great community are facing. If I am indeed reading your article correctly tonight, council has just approved a major project without public consultation.
Seemingly they did indeed consult those that would support this "gift" to New Westminster, hopefully on their way out the door. The mayor is leaving, and the entire Team Cote council hopefully will be gone with him.
The fact that this $36-million project that has just been approved has no current source of funding is unacceptable. Should Patrick Johnstone and his team of sheep get fully elected without any other voices on council, I can no doubt expect, along with my fellow citizens, to be fully footing the bill for this one too.
The current mayor and council seem to think that we all have printing presses in our homes running full-time printing more money. As we pull out of a world-wide pandemic where many families suffered with temporary or permanent layoffs, job losses or unilateral wage rollbacks and into a time of extremely high inflation, our local government should be doing everything they possibly can to provide their residents with a financial break. Instead, they continue to push on with new projects, and in this case with no source of funding.
When will our mayor and council start to treat this city like a business, rather than the monopoly it is? They can continue to push through property tax increases, utility rate increases, fee increases, etc. etc. and as residents, we have no choice but to pay.
The only option is to pay tens of thousands of dollars in real estate sales commissions and moving costs and move to another city, which frankly is not much of an option.
I hope and pray that my fellow residents feel the same way as me and have exercised their democratic right to voice their displeasure and vote these people out.
Now that's a four-year plan for the good of New Westminster.
Steve Bodnar, New Westminster
(Editor's note: Steve Bodnar is vice-president, finance & operations, for Glacier Media, as well as a longtime New Westminster resident.)
📣 SOUND OFF: Do you use the city's cycling corridors? Do you support this plan? Should more consultation have been done? Send us a letter.
