Editor and Sechelt council:
A 74 per cent majority of respondents indicated they do not wish to pay for free charging of electric cars in the recent Coast Reporter poll.
We formally protest the unfair taxation of subsidizing electric vehicle charging in the District of Sechelt.
We further submit that the District of Sechelt should lead the charge to have charging stations include an appropriate amount of road tax to cover the extra wear and tear caused to the highways by the use of significantly heavier electric vehicles. Who will pay to upkeep the roads if any appreciable number of people drive electric cars?
In addition, the Application and Copying Fees Bylaw No. 333, 1998 is not the appropriate vehicle for taxing the citizens of Sechelt for the service of attempting to reduce global warming by promoting electric car use.
Bylaw No. 333, 1998 refers to legislation that was long ago replaced. We managed to find an old archived mimeograph copy of the Municipal Act (1998) and formally challenge the District’s authority to charge for the service of providing electrical charging stations, subsidized energy, and software pursuant to this bylaw and the defunct legislation on which it is based. In any case electricity service is clearly not a fee related to applications and inspections.
Please regulate according to the current legislation and bring a bylaw in force to deal with this new service pursuant to the Community Charter 194(1). Please provide the legally required report to the public pursuant to section 194(4) of the Charter on how this fee was determined.
Marc Nixon, Selma Park
