Delaying water costs would make no sense
Re: “CRD water plan needs to go back to the drawing board: report,” Jan. 14.
The article quotes Jonathan Huggett saying “the fiscal management of the [Capital Regional District] plan is inadequate” and “the cost estimates are likely to be grossly understated given recent experience and a full risk management is missing.”
The article also says the Urban Development Institute “estimated the plan would add $9,044 in development cost charges for each new single-family home and $7,914 per townhouse and duplex, which would be passed on to the buyer.”
Is the UDI advocating for higher development cost charges because the CRD estimates are too low, or are they advocating that the CRD not proceed with water filtration?
The UDI estimates for development cost charges are reasonable considering a new single family home or townhouse costs around a million dollars in the West Shore.
If they are advocating for no filtration, I would prefer to pay for and drink filtered water like residents in Metro Vancouver and many other communities in B.C. Which would Huggett prefer to drink if he lived here?
If the UDI is so concerned about the cost to buy a new home, it should advocate for governments to reduce or eliminate the step code requirements, property transfer tax, carbon tax, GST, building permit fees and unnecessary covenants.
Issuing building permits in a timely manner would also help reduce financing costs for builders.
The CRD is being proactive and prudent in developing a long-term water supply master plan. We might as well start collecting costs now for the significant future expense. Delaying or doing nothing makes no sense.
Tony Brcic
Sidney
Attention, CRD: Here is my vote
My my, methinks the Capital Regional District is doing its best to ensure it gets to borrow $85 million as it is next to impossible for a lowly citizen to Vote NO.
Thanks to the Times Colonist, I actually found the ballot! Ahh … but it’s in a form that you cannot complete online. You must print the ballot (sorry to those citizens without access to a printer), then fill out the ballot with a pen and sign it, and then take a photo of that form and convert it to a PDF.
Huh? After researching how to do that, the Apple site referred me to an “app” for $4.99.
So here’s hoping someone at CRD Legislative Services reads these letters and can take this as my NO vote on borrowing nearly a tenth of a billion dollars for what is a provincial responsibility.
Michael Faulkner
View Royal
A sneaky way to get voter approval
What a sneaky, dirty way to get permission from the electors to borrow $85 million for a Capital Regional District housing initiative, something they should not be involved with!
Having 33,000 electors vote “No” by a complicated form process rather than 33,000 electors voting “Yes.”
The CRD knows there will not be 33,000 “No” electors with the knowledge or ambition to vote, so they will get their proposal through.
They also are aware that to ask for 33,000 electors to vote “Yes” is a no-brainer.
Their process for this proposal is designed in a way to get approval in a negative manner.
Ron Kostiuk
Colwood
Getting out of the way on these narrow roads
There are many roads in Greater Victoria with two lanes where bike lanes and cement dividers have been installed.
I wonder where the cars are supposed to go if a first responder wants to go through. Can someone tell me what to do?
Karin Hertel
Saanich
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