Editor:
In your editorial of March 26 (“Time to turn the page on ice”), Sechelt Coun. Matt McLean is quoted as saying that “the funding model for the libraries on the Sunshine Coast is broken” and a regional strategy is required. In making this statement he clearly did not talk to one of the principals, the Gibsons and District Public Library (GDPL).
The GDPL has its own independent funding agreement with the SCRD. Year in and year out, the GDPL has had its budget submissions to the SCRD approved with little debate, its funding completely within a fiscally responsible framework and with a lower annual increase than the most conservative cost-of-living formula.
A regional library strategy would only add to the overall cost of providing library services and make them less efficient. The GDPL does not see any need for wholesale changes to our funding model. It has worked extremely well in the past and will continue to do so in the future.
On behalf of the Gibsons and District Library Board
Janet Hodgkinson, Chair
Alison Sawyer, Vice Chair
Rob Bennie, Vice Chair
