Krista Engelland is on to something.
The former five-term councillor and current mayoralty candidate suggested in a letter to the editor last week that Delta should take advantage of the opportunity afforded by this November's municipal election to ask the public its opinions on a number of pressing issues.
Engelland was most concerned about the possible landing spot for a regional garbage incinerator, but stated there are at least a handful of issues deserving of a pubic opinion question.
I'm not sure you want to clutter the ballot with too many, but I see at least a couple of issues that are significant enough it would be worthwhile to ask voters during this once-every-three-years opportunity.
By the time the election rolls around, Century Group will have a more detailed version of its housing/agriculture plan for the Southlands, so it would seem a question relating to the future of this contentious piece of property would be a natural one to ask.
This will obviously be the biggest election issue in Tsawwassen, so why not see where voters stand on the scaled down proposal, in which Century cut the number of housing units in half, that was unveiled in June.
The other question I think begs asking is the one Engelland is most concerned about, the issue of garbage incineration. Ideally, I'd like Delta to ask voters whether we should burn or landfill our garbage (with the cost ramifications of both explained), but I'd settle for a query on whether we'd be willing to play host to a waste-to-energy facility.
After recently getting the green light from the provincial environment minister, Metro Vancouver will soon be looking for a place to site an incinerator. I'm betting folks around here feel, thanks to ports, highways, power lines and the like, they've already done their part for the betterment of the region, so wouldn't be in the mood to welcome another unwanted guest.
Three years ago civic politicians used the election ballot to ask voters whether municipal hall should contribute half a million dollars to help Delta Hospital buy a CT scanner, a query that turned out to be a no-brainer as almost 90 per cent supported the expenditure.
This time around there are some issues with far more meat on the bone, ones that will also require addressing in the council term to come. If public opinion questions can provide those elected in November with some guidance in that regard, they are certainly worth considering.
