LETTER: In response

First and foremost, I have some concern from Mr. David Colledge’s Letter to the Editor dated June 1. I am not a paid consultant for the District of Squamish, as stated by Mr. Colledge, rather I am a member, on a volunteer basis, on the OCP Community Advisory Committee. 

I, and a number of other concerned citizens, have spent a great deal of time and effort working very closely with an outstanding group of District staff to gather and discuss information to allow all of us to draft, for public and political approval, a workable Official Community Plan. There are only two elected officials that are on our committee, the mayor and one council member. Within the working groups that are supporting the District during this process there are no development firms represented. 

I did mention in my letter of May 18 that the staff has and always will manage the involvement of all outside consultants to ensure that those consultants add value to the projects that cannot be obtained from the internal staff of the District. This point was well explained in that Letter to the Editor. One of the key points that has been missed by many readers of The Chief is that the final OCP will be approved by the mayor and council and it then becomes the guiding principal behind all activities within the District for the next 25 years (until 2040).

We all must answer the question as to what is driving, and what is impacting, Squamish, and the outcomes of those influencers if we do not have an overall plan for management and control. That is what the OCP represents. 

Most people in Squamish fully understand that what is taking place in our town is greatly influenced by what is taking place in Vancouver. The overall impact on all of us, including the cost of real estate, the cost of commuting, the cost of rental accommodation, etc., has been impacted by the influence of the overall Vancouver marketplace. 

The OCP also allows the decision makers to insist that all development efforts must comply with the OCP and to change any aspect of the OCP requires a great deal of effort on behalf of the elected officials of Squamish. The OCP is not only a directive that gives the elected officials a management tool but also has any developer making an approach to our District to develop land the correct processing and procedures that they must follow to deal with the elected decision makers. The District staff also will use the OCP to manage all approaches made to the District for not only development but all aspects of management within the District.

May I respectfully suggest that Mr. Colledge take the time to sit down with the members of the OCP Advisory Committee to see the purpose and expected outcomes of our efforts? It is time to reduce the criticism and dig deeper into what is behind the efforts and the reasons why.