EDITOR,
I read with interest the article of March 4, "CAO denies Squamish 'closed for business'" on The Chief's website, as I am the solicitor for the Paradise Trails development. For the past two years, I have been endeavouring to work with the District of Squamish staff in my efforts draft the Land Development Agreement for the Paradise Trails project.
I find it odd that Mr. Ramsay refers to the real estate developer, Michael Goodman, as being inexperienced. I have known Mr. Goodman for a long time and can say that he is quite an experienced developer, both in British Columbia and Alberta, and that he is not one to shrink from a project just because it is novel or because it presents some unusual difficulties.
In contrast, my experience with the District of Squamish staff has been unlike any that I have had in dealing with other municipalities in the decades that I have been doing this work. One of my colleagues on this project, Mr. Ben Lee of IBI Planning and Architecture Group, has made the observation that those of us working on the Paradise Trails project are repeatedly left to guess at just what it is that the Planning Department wants. In my submission, this a curious way for any regulator to conduct itself. Indeed, it is unprecedented in my experience.
It is important in regulatory situations that the rules are clear and that they are administered consistently and even-handedly. Where they are not, abuses are possible. One may find certain applicants routinely being favoured over others.
There are two paragraphs of The Chief"s March 4 article which encapsulate this concern:
"Lair said her major issue is why Paradise Trails had to conduct such an extensive geotechnical hazard whereas other establishments in the area, such as the Paradise Valley Wellness Centre and North Vancouver Outdoor School, didn't have such stringent rules.
"Chalmers said that's because the other projects are for not permanent
residential uses with significant individual landowner investments."
As any Japanese person can tell you, a geological disaster is a geological disaster. Whether you have lived in Sendai all of your life or whether you just happened to be there when the tsunami struck, you are equally endangered. The imposition of different standards in respect of contiguous properties beggars any rational understanding.
The Paradise Trails project is my first experience at dealing with the District of Squamish, and I hesitate to generalize from a sample of one.
It does suggest to me, though, that The Chief might do its constituency a favour by taking a hard look at how the municipality manages this business.
Calvin Patterson
Barrister and Solicitor
Langley
