Editor:
At the April 10 Gibsons council committee of the whole meeting, discussion about the latest draft of the Gospel Rock neighbourhood plan was heated, to say the least.
As a member of the Gospel Rock select committee, which poured hundreds of man-hours into drafting the original plan for council, I'd like to thank Coun. Gerry Tretick for stating that he attributes a high degree of credibility to the select committee members and their work. We did do a great job.
Unfortunately, I think Coun. Tretick had intended to compliment the Gospel Rock refinement working committee, and just got the name wrong.
In fact, the working committee's 'refined' Gospel Rock Neighbourhood plan from which the current draft has emerged is a marked divergence from the plan referred to council by the select committee. The most obvious 'refinement' of the original plan was the re-addition of 10 units of waterfront housing, which both the select committee and Gibsons voters had specifically rejected.
Since the refinement committee's plan went to council, both the biology and the process of the environmental study on which the plan was based have been brought into question. Neither the considerable body of dissenting biological evidence, nor troubling concerns about the study's objectivity, nor the public's stated opposition to waterfront development was sufficient to induce the bulk of council to reconsider its position on waterfront development.
I thank municipal planner Michael Epp for his efforts to preserve significant landmarks; and I thank councilors LeeAnn Johnson and Dan Bouman for remaining steadfast in their opposition to waterfront housing on these lands. At least someone at the table is listening and thinking critically for the good of the whole community.
Katie Janyk
Gibsons
