Minister Peter Fassbender:
With reference to the Town of Gibsons’ application to transfer funds from its parks acquisition fund, I am writing you to ask you to refuse their request. As a taxpaying citizen of this small but growing community, I know we will require more parks or expansion of existing ones in the near future. On Oct. 6, our mayor and council approved a huge development on our waterfront that abuts our waterfront park. This will diminish the park with huge shade, relocation of its bandshell and huge reconfiguration of its seawalk with ramps, etc., right in front of the view. All this destruction of our park for this development with no impunity. This hotel gains our park as its grounds, so to speak, while the Town has to maintain it. The Town also leased the water lot in front of the park to the development as well for a marina. The public, in the form of small watercraft users, will no longer have access to this park.
The park acquisition fund that the mayor and council want to transfer will be allocated to another development within steps of the hotel in the form of a public market. This is not a park! It is a tourist attraction. The big problem is we do not have the population to keep it going all winter. This means it will constantly be a drain on our town. I like to believe that public markets evolve like the one on Salt Spring Island. This one is being built with the hope that vendors will fill it. Not a good business plan and a bad investment for public money. I liken it to the fast ferry fiasco.
Once again, please say no to releasing or transferring these funds.
Judith Bonkoff, Gibsons
