Editor:
In response to “Where’s the plan to address an extended highway closure?” (Aug. 29), Ken White correctly demonstrated the need for an alternate route to the 101 goat trail and the need for emergency plans to be multi-jurisdictional. The Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) has released a new “Strategic Plan ‘23-‘27”. It refers to four lenses, Lens 2 being to “…build our capacity to respond and recover from emergencies.” The response to the emergency closure for six-plus hours following the tragic collision (Aug. 24) from the SCRD is classic buck passing. Comments that “the SCRD is committed to, and continues to recognize the importance of community resilience during unexpected disruptions,” does not support action. This cold response to a tragic collision is textbook PR response, avoiding any direct intended action to acknowledge responsibility for future “emergencies.” The only action response being to have “recently awarded a contract.” What! Another dust-collecting analysis by an external agency.
The SCRD Strategic Plan has no specific actions plans, dates to measure results or clear objectives to support their PR initiatives that only “foster” (encourage the development of) proposed bureaucratic inaction. Are SCRD senior employees not capable of determining how to initiate positive action to their so-called strategic plan? If not, what do they do?
Perhaps if the SCRD board chair took responsibility for directing the SCRD staff instead of following their inactive direction, a dedicated individual should be named and be responsible for determining “clear priorities” within a specific time frame and be accountable. Get to it!
Bud Hoffman
Sechelt
