The four candidates seeking the mayor's chair say they know how to deal with the external forces impacting this community on many fronts.
As a major port expansion looms for Roberts Bank, as well as the possibility of a foreign trade zone being established, the municipality is also going to be impacted by other issues, such as the South Fraser Perimeter Road, major residential and commercial development at the Tsawwassen First Nation, and development in South Surrey affecting highway traffic.
Just what, if anything, can be done about it all is a question the Optimist posed to the four mayoral candidates. They all agreed it's a challenge, and for the most part came up with the same answer, which is to act collaboratively.
"The port is a typical example," Mayor Lois Jackson said. "When the third berth went in it was going in because the federal and provincial government had decided that, so if the senior levels of government had decided to move ahead with a project, and certainly we can do whatever we can to mitigate or change it, once the decision is made we have virtually no power.
"What I have decided as a mayor, if it is going to go ahead, then let's make it the best darn project it can be.
In other words, let's cover all the bases as we did with South Fraser Perimeter Road. We got $18 million in amenities for farmers, really meeting with the people that made a difference. (We also got) Major cooperation in terms of saving industrial land along Tilbury Island."
Jackson, who chairs the Metro Vancouver board, added, "You work with these people to get the very best you can in your community and most you can.
I think our record shows that."
Krista Engelland, however, doesn't believe the current mayor has been working collaboratively with Delta's MPs and MLAs, noting if elected she'd have quarterly meetings with senior politicians to discuss issues.
"The obvious answer is to work together, but I was thinking how things have been on Delta council the 15 years I was on... We haven't, ever since my time on council, met regularly to discuss major issues," Engelland said.
"(MLAs) Vicki (Huntington) and Guy (Gentner) actually wrote letters to Lois (Jackson) asking for a meeting. Have they ever worked with (former MP) John Cummins in Ottawa? Not once," she said.
Heather King said as school board chair she lobbied without success to stop the high voltage power lines from being installed over South Delta Secondary. King said it's easy to see why residents are frustrated by so many senior government projects.
"There's a couple of things I found. One of them is when you dig your heels into the sand and provide no creative solutions, no alternatives, no willingness to work for a compromising, value-added benefit for the community, the provincial government historically have not made decisions that have been in our favour," King said.
"Maybe we need to find a different approach. I think the feisty, 'I'm going to fight them tooth and nail' approach hasn't served us well. What we need is an approach that is collaborative, innovative to problem solving that really puts the needs of the community to the forefront in terms of how can we add value to the community if you're going to be putting in Terminal 2. Ultimately, I'm not optimistic they're going to back down on Terminal 2."
King said she didn't agree with paying a consultant to arrange meetings for Jackson and Delta staff with senior government officials in Ottawa. She said MP Kerry-Lynne Findlay could have helped set those sessions up and that Huntington should have also been invited to show a united front.
Jackson countered that Findlay, in fact, met the Delta delegation in Ottawa and attended some meetings.
When it comes to dealing with the external forces, John Meech said it begins with a proper analysis of the types of change, who is behind it, what the options are and the timing.
"When higher levels of government push projects such as the SFPR, port expansion and B.C.
Hydro power lines, the Corporation of Delta must take early collaborative and cooperative action in the planning processes. We should never walk away from the table even when it appears that we are going to lose out. We must continue to negotiate even when the other side stops," Meech said. "Secondly, we must demand and we must give full public disclosure. Discussions on these important issues must not take place in a way that keeps the citizens of Delta in the dark. If compensation for negative impacts is offered, it must flow down to the affected residents. We shouldn't be trading off one area against another as apparently took place with the SFPR when council was involved."
Meech, noting council must seriously consider options put forward by citizens such as the HooverNaas proposal for the South Delta stretch of the South Fraser Perimeter Road, also said Delta has to work collaboratively with the Tsawwassen First Nation.
