Editor,
Re: "Mayor critical of letter to the editor," The Chief, March 18:
Perhaps Mayor Sutherland could explain just how I am so wrong, "100 per cent incorrect", and what information was inaccurate or false. I have correspondence to back up my claims.
The letter Mayor Sutherland refers to, with a notation of a copy to The Chief, was hand-delivered to the district on Feb. 21 and I was notified the next day that my request had been denied again. Due to a hope that council would favour my request, I withheld it from the Feb. 25 publication. It was subsequently made public to correct the wrong impression that the district had not previously been made aware of my requests and to emphasize my frustration when dealing with the district regarding industry. At the March 15 council meeting, the mayor seemed to be angry that I had made the matter public. Why not? I believe the electorate should be informed of the affairs of council.
At that same meeting, Coun. Peters mentioned the fact that we were informed quite some time ago about the district's need for the land. He seems to be unaware that we have had to accept the eviction notice and my concern was that an occupation extension was granted to one company but not the other and the problems that have arisen since the eviction notice. Perhaps he misread the letter. He stated he would like to see a record of what's happened over the last two years. Wouldn't he have a record if council had been informed of my requests?
I feel industry is a very important issue. Hopefully the mayor and council will endeavor to keep the small amount of industry we still have left in Squamish operational. It was mentioned that an extension would not be granted for my leased area, as it was required to be used as a parking lot for a special event to be held at Rose Park on May 6 and 7. When informed it was for an arts festival, I question the purpose of the pavilion, which I assumed was constructed for just this purpose. It would keep activity in the downtown are where I thought the district was desperately attempting to encourage commerce and tourists.
I could be wrong, again, but I believe industry, which provide well-paying positions, should not be compromised unnecessarily for festivals.
Darren Doak
JR Transport
Trailer park owners ask council for compassion
The following letter to Squamish Mayor and Council was copied to The Chif.
We are owners of mobile homes in Timbertown Estates and strongly oppose the possible rezoning of Wagon Wheel Trailer Park. We ask each member of council to vote "no" to the rezoning of this mobile home park.
Mobile home parks offer a viable business opportunity to their owners and to the communities they reside in. These parks are regulated by provincial, municipal and the rules and regulations under the residential tenancy act. Standards of maintenance and repair are provided by the owners of the parks, increasing the value of the land mobile homes are situated in. This in turn provides the municipality with valuable tax dollars not only from the owners of the park but from every person who owns a mobile home within the park.
With little or no suitable affordable housing available in Squamish, mobile home parks offer many taxpayer of Squamish an opportunity to have a home with a yard and a sense of belonging in the community. Taking away one mobile home park in Squamish will cause the displacement of all the current residents leaving most with no place to go. A good portion of these people will suffer and not be able to recover from losing their home. We urge council to have compassion for the many residents of mobile home parks here in Squamish and to realize that these are our homes and not to allow any current designated mobile home parks to be rezoned.
Linda Genio
Association of Timbertown Estates
Aldridge defended
Editor,
Re: "Jaded journalist has a (tentative) change of heart," The Chief, March 4:How dare you let that article into the paper! I grew up having Ryan as a neighbour and from what I can remember of him, he protected my brother from being beat up on the bus, and when a psychotic neighbour attacked my dad on the street, he jumped in to defend him. To wish those things on a kid that made a mistake is revolting. The Chief is a family newspaper, and should not have such graphic and inappropriate material in it.
Stephanie Marotte, Squamish
