How can residents feel confident their interests are being represented if the people they've elected to do just that are left in the dark? There appears to be some troubling communications gaps in the District of Squamish, which is undermining the way elected leaders make decisions. Last week, council decided something had to be done to fix the Tim Hortons drive-through, so they agreed to send a strongly-worded letter to the restaurant's owner hinting at serious consequences. There was even discussion over revoking business licences.This decisiveness could have been a popular move since residents have long grumbled over the entrance design, which, at best, creates significant bottlenecking at Finch Drive during the morning rush to get coffee, and at worst, is a potentially perilous traffic problem.But instead, the proposed motion highlights council's ignorance - through no fault of their own. Throughout council's heated discussion, some staff in the very room knew the business's plans for entrance changes had been reviewed six months ago, yet it was never brought up. And to top it off, it seems the Tim Hortons owner himself was not told the recommendations for changes to the proposed entrance redesign had been made.Or perhaps, said the community development director, someone in the planning department or on the planning committee told corporate headquarters he just doesn't know.One can argue that the planning and community development departments are swamped with work, and some things are bound to fall through the cracks. But to allow a public tongue-lashing of a business without mentioning the business's efforts and the district's own involvement in delays is beyond comprehension. But instead of acknowledging that the missing information should have been brought up during the meeting, council was told in a follow-up meeting that they should pay closer attention to their emails. A second mind-boggling incident this week again pointed to a jarring lack of communication, and even more incredible, it resulted in a $20,000 budget commitment for the mayor's pet project, which most of council knew nothing about before it showed up on the budget. While pressed, the mayor gave a vague description of his vision - apparently it involves building some sort of multi-use facility. But instead of acknowledging he should have brought this proposal up sooner and in more detail rather than as a surprise budget item, he said council should pay closer attention to his columns. You just want to throw up your hands and give in. Must it be pointed out that elected officials must be informed to decide on the best course of action?
