To the Editor,
RE: ACRD ponders waste collection in rural areas, Jan. 19
I’ve got a problem with the process that the Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District (ACRD) is using to gauge support for the proposed waste collection service for Beaver Creek, Cherry Creek, Sproat Lake and Beaufort districts.
The ACRD says they are trying to gauge the level of support for the proposal using an online survey. Recently, I spoke to a city resident that added her two cents to the survey. She filled out the survey because she is in favour of the rural area helping to pay for the city’s waste collection system (which she suspects is the actual plan).
So what’s stopping other people that do not live or own property within the rural areas from completing this survey? From what I see, there’s nothing stopping them.
If elected officials from the ACRD announce “there’s overwhelming support for the plan,” where is the support actually coming from? Clearly, the support could be coming from anywhere.
The process is flawed. The only fair way to gauge public opinion is to bring this issue to a proper referendum ballot where there is control over where a person lives in order to vote on issues. And being that this is an election year, it should not be too much of an issue.
The ACRD has nine months to set up the question to be on the ballot. And it would be done at no extra cost to the taxpayer because a ballot is being held regardless. The next general local elections will be held on October 15, 2022.
Susan E. Roth
Beaver Creek