Editor:
I write regarding the grossly inadequate response to our recent snowstorm, which left residents of several neighbourhoods on the Coast stranded without power for three days on unplowed streets.
The severity of this failure was starkly illustrated when residents captured footage of an ambulance requiring a tow truck’s assistance to navigate our snow-covered streets, with a snowplow belatedly leading the way. This disturbing scene demonstrates how the authorities’ negligence directly endangered lives by impeding emergency services.
When finally returning calls after three days, Ministry of Transportation officials had the audacity to blame residents for not being “prepared enough” – suggesting we should have stockpiled more generator fuel or found our own way out of the area. This from the very department paid to maintain our infrastructure and tasked with monitoring weather forecasts to protect public safety.
Their claim of being “surprised” by the storm’s intensity is inexcusable given today’s advanced forecasting capabilities and our region’s recent history with extreme weather events, including floods, windstorms, and even a tornado in Halfmoon Bay. This pattern of unpreparedness puts lives at risk.
Adding insult to injury, municipal authorities used social media not to provide crucial updates about their emergency response, but to complain about receiving criticism from frustrated residents. When citizens are trapped without power or road access, we need solutions and action, not defensive posturing about hurt feelings.
Our tax dollars fund these agencies specifically to maintain critical infrastructure and respond to emergencies. Their failure to fulfill these basic duties, followed by attempts to deflect responsibility onto residents, represents an unacceptable breach of public trust.
Sincerely,
Alessandra Olmedo, Garden Bay
