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Still waiting for an admission of responsibility
Letter to the Editor
Cranbrook Councillor Gerry Warner’s letter about Development Cost Charges (DCCs) completely misses the point, something I experienced on a regular basis when Mr. Warner covered politics for the Daily Townsman.
The city council at a public meeting went out of their way to blame the provincial government for the failure of the city’s new DCC bylaw to be processed in Victoria. They stated that the province “refused” to accept the bylaw, that the province was the cause of an “18 month delay.” And as council knew full well, that is not true, that the failure lay squarely on the shoulders of the City of Cranbrook.
The members of council who perpetrated this falsehood to the public thought they could mislead the public but unfortunately for them, I read the newspaper and I also have served twice as the minister responsible for local government. I know that the ministry does not “refuse” to process bylaws. In fact, the ministry bends over backwards to help the local government get their bylaw in order.
In this case, the city failed to even send a certified true copy of the bylaw to the ministry for over nine months. And yet, three councillors, knowing the true cause of the failure by the city, chose to tell the public something they knew to be untrue.
The mayor and council tried throwing their staff under the bus by having the CAO send a letter to the Townsman, taking the blame. I responded to that dishonourable strategy with another public request that mayor and council own up to the fact that the province was not in any way responsible for the failure of their DCC bylaw to be processed. I am still waiting for at least an admission of responsibility, having given up on ever receiving an apology.
Bill Bennett,
MLA, Kootenay East
