Editor:
Congratulations to our elected officials and the bureaucrats in charge. After 25 years of study upon study, and millions of our tax dollars spent, our water situation has made the national news. Oh, and we are drilling a couple of wells. And let’s not forget the millions of dollars spent on water meters. What great achievements.
Every Sunshine Coast resident I talk to knows what needs to be done, yet those we elect to look after our community, and the municipal employees tasked with finding a solution, seem to be ignoring the obvious:
We do not live in a desert. We are surrounded by water. Millions of gallons are running off into the ocean every year. All we need is a place to store water, either another lake, or a man-made reservoir.
Yet here we are, once again at Stage 4 water restrictions, with no end in sight. Homeowners stand to lose thousands of dollars worth of expensive shrubs, without compensation. Enough already.
Prior to the last election, I had great hopes that something positive would get done once a new slate of politicians was in place. Sadly, nothing has improved.
Over the last four years, the primary effort seems to have been directed at increasing the tax base. i.e. – More development, along with increased population, and a proliferation of short-term rentals with large numbers of tourists flocking to the Sunshine Coast. All of this resulting in a considerable increase in water use. I am not against development or tourism; but, as many other readers have pointed out, how can we allow, indeed promote all this, before a reliable supply of water, and other required infrastructure is in place. Drilling a few new wells simply does not cut it.
I call upon whatever slate of elected officials in place after the upcoming election to make water a priority and get the job done.
Fred Stark
Sechelt
