Editor:
I’m disappointed your paper published a letter (Coast Reporter, Sept. 5) that was not only inflammatory, but was also wildly inaccurate. This story that I “cavalierly dismissed” a group of parents concerned about WiFi is pure fiction.
Quite to the contrary, I accepted a request from a parent to make a WiFi presentation at our board meeting, and when she was finished, I thanked her, informed her the issue had been sent to our Operations Committee for more discussion, and invited her group to attend and fully participate, which it did.
I should also make the correction that the group supporting the presentation included some parents, but also community members without children in our schools such as the author of last week’s letter. As far as “doing my due diligence” goes, I studied all the information presented as well as other research. I also raised the WiFi suggestion specific to Gibsons Elementary to the school’s Parents’ Advisory Council, and the parents there expressed no opposition to WiFi.
But something this PAC has been consistently and unanimously concerned about is the hazardous intersection in front of the school. So has our board. So are some of the parents opposed to WiFi, including the parent who made the presentation. In fact, she and I have been working together to collect letters from citizens about the dangers of the Gibsons Way/School Road/North Road intersection. This is a community effort, and my role is not to be the “saviour.” (We’d be happy to see the Minister of Transportation assume that title by coming up with provincial funds.) My role is to perform my elected duty, and due diligence, to represent the students, parents and community members of the Town of Gibsons.
