June 25, 2005 was a historic day.
After years of study, government haggling and failed votes, the will of the people finally broke through and voted 67 per cent in favour on the referendum question for recreation.
The occasion marked a rare moment when all levels of government communicated and worked together to champion for one common cause. The governments worked brilliantly and it signalled the possible start of better cooperation.
But here we are 10 months later and the old ways of government failing to communicate have resurfaced.
While the District of Sechelt gets prepared to sign off on its Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) and plans to break ground April 19, Gibsons council and the SCRD continue to fight behind the scenes to get their MOU and objectives met.
Gibsons council debated at length at Tuesday's meeting over its proposed MOU document. Council continues to ask for things like a Gant Chart, a timeline for ground breaking and construction, a look at final design and siting plans and just a few assurances that the needs of Gibsons are being met by the SCRD. It's doesn't seem like much to ask. After all, this facility is in the Town of Gibsons.
Frustration at the Gibsons' table is evident. Communication, it seems, is not getting through. How many times does Mayor Barry Janyk have to ask simple requests at the SCRD table before someone starts to listen? Isn't this supposed to be a partnership? Isn't this supposed to be a project where government works together? A proper communication plan is sorely lacking. And it's not just lacking between council and the SCRD. It's also with the general public.
We have a January letter in our files copied to the Town of Gibsons from the SCRD stating that a full media communication strategy was being drafted to keep the community better informed and that signs would be going up letting the community know what progress has been made. Does anyone see any signs? We sure don't. As for media communication, releases have been few and far between. It's taken far too long for this part of the communication strategy to begin.
While these behind-the-scenes issues continue, the hours and days continue to tick by with still no sign of ground breaking. The costs continue to rise and that means more money out of the pockets of taxpayers. We're frustrated. The Town of Gibsons is frustrated and the community is frustrated. But this frustration can end with one thing -better communication.
Let's start talking and working together and start construction.
