Well it looks like the district is on the hook again for at least another $10,000 for the public boat launch. The boat launch has been bleeding money from the taxpayers ever since the idea was launched by the previous council and CAO. It serves to remind us that the whole partnership deal was favoured to the hotel and the contract with Heavy Metal Marine and not the district. We are being bled monetarily, boaters still have to park out on the highway and our land holdings consist of a roadway. And no one is happy.
When you have people in positions of power who do not take the taxpayers and the whole community into account, you get abuse and misdirection of power. Many of the wrongs and poor decisions cannot be undone, but what can occur is some thoughtful and wise decisions as to how much more we are going to spend “finishing” the boat launch. There has to be a cap on this at some point. The taxpayers are not responsible for ensuring that boaters have all the amenities they need and want, but if such things as fish cleaning stations and an ancillary building were taken out of a contract without public input, then they need to be completed.
Recreation is one thing that is at our doorsteps in Sooke. We have all the wild and beautiful places we could ever want or use. Not every thing is the responsibility of the district, no should it be. It is not up to the community at large to provide anyone and everyone with their recreational opportunities. If a group wants something for their use, let them raise the money for it. There was a time when sports groups held their own fund raisers without asking their local government for money. With the tough economic climate out there, it is time to think seriously about what our priorities are, without being bullied and coerced into making quick decisions that come back and bite us.