Editor:
The handling of the problem in the Seawatch neighbourhood by the mayor of Sechelt and her new council has been a disgrace. The science of land stability and its assessment is primitive and on shaky ground. No one should rely on the opinion of a single individual, especially when taking such drastic action. The predictions of such experts in these cases are invariably premised on past problems rather than any deep understanding of the cause. Predicting when or if failures will occur again and what to do about it, is problematic. Most importantly, what the mayor is missing is the low risk of no forewarning of further problems. Subsurface erosion in glacial and marine sands and other unconsolidated materials is a slow and gradual process normally involving years and decades. Signs will appear well before there is risk to life and limb. There are instruments available that can detect developing voids and could be employed on an annual basis. The roads in Seawatch should be maintained by the district as part of its fundamental responsibility. There was no need to kick people out of their homes and no reason why they can’t be permitted to return.
The situation calls for the mayor to act in a flexible and resourceful manner. Instead, the mayor makes a rash and hurried decision, stubbornly maintains her stance, and now orders a code of silence and hides behind the legal system. A Supreme Court judge will not engage in splitting legal hairs but will consider how the district has handled a matter that was largely unpredictable and blameless and will find the district’s actions wanting. Mayor Siegers needs to resign and turn the reins over to a councillor with some management skills and common sense.
R. Giza, Davis Bay
