Editor:
In follow-up to my letter last week regarding development in South Delta, I would like to make the following observations and suggestion to the people of South Delta.
If you look at the issues that cause the most discussion and division within the communities of Tsawwassen and Ladner, I think many would agree the most controversial come from non-conforming development applications.
Our mayor and council don't regard the bylaws, the area plans or the Official Community Plan, or even the referendum held in Tsawwassen, as binding and they and municipal staff constantly entertain and approve non-conforming development applications.
So why do we keep voting them in? Well, we don't! I'm beginning to believe the Corporation of Delta, which is divided into North Delta and South Delta, is the root cause of all these divisive issues.
The results of the last few elections clearly indicate that it is North Delta that elects the mayor and council and they are strongly supported during those elections by those who want to develop in South Delta.
These communities of North Delta and South Delta have almost nothing in common except the mayor and council:
. We don't have the same MP;
. We don't have the same MLA;
. We don't share the same hospital;
. We don't have the same newspapers.
South Delta has numerous major issues that are of absolutely no concern to the residents of North Delta, and why would they be:
. Traffic at the George Massey Tunnel;
. Traffic from the ferries; . Expansion of Deltaport and a rail yard;
. Extensive development of the TFN;
. Development of Ladner Harbour;
. The Burns Bog landfill;
. Burns Bog;
. Border crossing;
. Boundary Bay Airport;
. South Fraser Perimeter Road;
. Farming;
. Dikes and irrigation water;
. Southlands development;
None of these major South Delta issues are of any concern to the voters of North Delta who are largely responsible for who represents us at municipal hall.
I now believe the only solution to our development issues, and many of the other concerns the people of South Delta have, is to work to separate from North Delta with the goal to elect South Delta people to council who will address South Delta issues.
If that mayor and council don't listen to the people, then we could vote them out. That is democracy, yet for quite some time we have not been able to control what happens here in our own community.
I think it's time for a big change.
Greg Hoover
