EDITOR,
While Squamish City Hall and the chamber of commerce reassure us that the economy is improving, cold statistics tell a different story. As spokesperson for the Coalition of Tradespeople and Home Builders for an Effective Squamish City Hall, representing an economic sector second only to tourism in Squamish, I find this difficult to reconcile.
The Lower Mainland real estate market overall is doing well, but in Squamish, 2011 prices dropped. Between 2006 and 2010, the value of building permits in Squamish tumbled from $74 million to $25 million, while several municipalities in the Lower Mainland experienced growth. For example, building permits in Langley City, White Rock and Delta went from $60 million to $81 million, averaged in the same period (Statistics Canada). That Squamish has B.C.'s highest increase in EI claimants for two years running 2009 to 2011 (Squamish Chief, June 3, 2011) is no surprise.
In the 2011, municipal election, nearly all council candidates declared job creation as the top issue. Council candidate and geo-engineer Geoff Dyer said the biggest issue is "restoring Squamish's image as a place that is open for business" and that "being branded as the 'Red Tape Capital of Canada' impacts us all." The recently released Core Services Review of city hall cites a "significantly damaged" reputation, "processing time delays," a "lack of a formal appeal process," a "lack of transparency," and "inconsistent application of policies." Several months before this report's release, the coalition pinpointed these issues and made recommendations, but was shunned.
In an all-candidates debate in November 2011, then mayoral-candidate Rob Kirkham said that if complications developed for a project between third and fourth readings, as it has, for example, for Paradise Trails, he would meet applicants to solve administrative problems so business could continue. However, now that he is elected, city hall maintains that elected officials cannot meet with applicants between third and fourth readings, because this would necessitate a new public hearing. This is not so - there is a Supreme Court case that states the contrary in unmistakable language. Jonathan Baker, a foremost municipal lawyer in B.C. and former Vancouver city councillor, quotes a B.C. Court of Appeal judge who states that if councillors cannot meet with applicants between third and fourth reading to obtain vital information, and required a public hearing every time a meeting was held, that our democratic system would become so "cumbersome as to be incapable of producing practical results."
It would be highly regrettable if the mayor or any councillors used a mistaken belief not to meet applicants to solve administrative problems. He and council should immediately act on their promise to get to the business of untying logjams and facilitating projects that enhance job growth and the outdoor recreation brand of Squamish. The new mayor and council must take action to change Squamish's negative image and show the leadership expected of city hall.Rishi DhirSpokesperson for the Coalition of Tradespeople and Builders for an Effective Squamish City Hall
Vancouver
