Editor:
For quite some time now we have ceased being a small isolated blue-collar outpost. We have been discovered on all levels. Both our permanent and weekend/summer populations are growing, and tourism, now one of our main sources of reliance, is also growing rapidly. This has become the place to be.
What this has created is increased stresses on our natural resources, along with increased conflicts among various interest groups and individuals.
The Coast needs a big-picture, long-term vision. To do that we need to create a Land Management Plan for the entire Coast.
This will require lots of work and collaboration from many fronts including the province, both First Nations and communities, the SCRD along with industry, developers, environmental and social groups plus the everyday little guy like you and me who live here. No one will get everything we want, but if personal agendas and egos are left at the door, we can have something so we will know what our Coast can look like over the next 20 years. Where can there be industrial activity, commercial growth, residential growth, where and what needs to be protected and preserved, would be laid out for all to know for this and the next generation.
In my opinion, this is long overdue and needs to be addressed yesterday.
Dale Peterson, Gibsons
