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Cherry picking land use issues

eather Phillips espouses certain opinions in her Op Ed that leave me and, I’m sure other readers, somewhat puzzled.

The creation of Land Use Committees A and B and their voting rights certainly did not come by “default.” The fact that the whole of the CRD Board had to vote on the remnants of the Electoral Area after Sooke’s Incorporation, came by default.

The attempts by the CRD Board to deal with land use matters in the newly created Juan De Fuca Electoral Area failed miserably, to the extent that the Board could not carry on its normal business.

The Board’s solution at the time was to put all land use matters in the Electoral Area on hold and appeal to the province for a solution. The province asked the CRD Board for their input which culminated in the creation of LUC A and B by Provincial Order in Council.  This was certainly not a creation by “default.”

Phillips’ surprising comments on lack of democracy and accountability in the JDFEA become clear as she promotes the notion that all of the CRD Board members should be allowed to cherry pick on which land use matters in the JDFEA they decide to vote on. I am convinced that the Rural Resource Lands would only be the beginning of  the “cherries” in their fruit basket.

LUC A has Sooke, Metchosin and the JDFEA Director with a direct connection to the so called Rural Resource Lands. The other two directors are part of the Westshore with certainly a vested interest. To involve the other CRD Board directors from the other nine municipalities and the Gulf Islands would most certainly be a travesty of democracy and a complete and utter lack of accountability.

Phillips can’t decry that, “JDFEA voters have no relationship to four of the directors voting on their land use,” when she promotes that 17 other directors should have a vote on LUC A land use matters.

Process has to be followed, but if you don’t like the “accountability” equation there is always the option of joining a municipality, assuming you could find one that would want this.

Victor Wehmann

Sooke