We should all be concerned about the recent media reports about Sooke’s draft community plan.
• At a public meeting, a Sooke councillor stated that a few land developers’ interests are being placed ahead of residents’ needs.
• Statements by the mayor that the draft OCP, costing $200,000 in consulting fees and likely double that in staff time, could be shelved because of typos and errors.
• A council-organized open house in May with no report on the outcomes.
The mayor said months ago she was willing to shelve the draft OCP until after the municipal election in October. This seems to be the new game plan.
Stopping the OCP at this stage would be an irresponsible waste of taxpayer dollars after two years of public consultation. It also opens a window into the true priorities of our councillors.
Write Sooke council at info@sooke.ca to insist that the draft OCP be approved before the election. It will save taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars.
J. Kent
Sooke