Editor:
About the water – or lack thereof. In mid-September we were still at Stage 3 water restrictions. Last summer we hit Stage 4. We are told when we can use water and when we can’t and what we can use it for – or not. And most of us try to abide by the rules. We know there’s only so much water available on this peninsula.
It therefore rankles when the municipal councils on the Sunshine Coast continue to approve big subdivisions, condo complexes and hotels. Inviting thousands more people to come here and suck up what little water we have.
And currently there’s not only countless short-term vacation rentals, but the ubiquitous Airbnb has hit the Coast. People come here for a few days and use enormous amounts of water – while we, who live here, watch our gardens wither, drive dirty cars, and try not to flush the toilet too often. Is this fair?
It seems that the municipal councils don’t believe in climate change/global warming. They don’t appear to get it that in the future things will get hotter and drier – and there will be less and less water. Imposing water restrictions on residents and at the same time allowing more and more development seems like one step forward, two steps back.
There’s not enough water in the summer, Sechelt’s wastewater treatment facility was not designed to handle more output, our highway can’t handle more traffic, the ferries are overloaded and the small-town character of Gibsons and Sechelt is being destroyed. Enough with the building – it’s irresponsible and shortsighted.
Cecilia Ohm-Eriksen, Selma Park
