The issue:
Facilities Referendum
WE SAY:
Get more details and present it again in November
Back in December, when the District of Squamish announced its intention ask the voters' approval to spend $20 million on new recreation facilities, we said in this space that The Chief would not sit on the fence - that we would write an editorial officially endorsing either a "yes" or a "no" vote in the referendum. Here it is.
We're asking you to vote No in the Public Amenity and Recreational Facilities referendum on Saturday (Feb. 26).
We're doing so very reluctantly. This community needs more facilities - not in a few years, not after the Olympics, but now. The growth that Squamish is currently experiencing will only put more pressure on our recreational facilities. Those facilities cost money to build and to operate - and they never get cheaper to build down the road.
The District's concept of asking approval to build a host of amenities together in short order rather than going to the public with one project at a time is brilliant - it allows people to support their own project of interest without opposing others. It also allows the District to seek partnerships and potentially save money by combining amenities into larger facilities.
The idea to ask for approval in principle first before spending the money on creating formal plans for a host of projects is also unique, and shows a certain responsibility on council's part.
But it is also the downfall of this referendum. It has painted council into a corner where it can't provide vital information to the public about what kind of facilities it has in mind - it can't even guarantee which facilities will be built.
A lack of information - even the appearance of it - creates doubt and suspicion. The members of this council who were elected under the Squamish New Directions banner know that - it's why they made open and transparent government one of the hallmarks of their campaign two and a half years ago.
That's the message Squamish council has to hear. The opposition is not to these facilities - it's to this plan. The people need the details.
That's why we urge council to budget the money to put together the plans for these facilities and bring them back to the public when they go to the polls this November. With the numbers in plain sight, voters can give their approval to a plan in good conscience - and we have no doubt they will.
It's time to build our community. Let's do it right.
