Nanaimo Low Barrier Housing Hearings Extended

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Bowen Road Rezoning Hearing Continues

The public hearing held in the Shaw Auditorium has once more recessed until May 11 with nearly twelve more people wanting to be heard at 11:00pm.

What seems obvious to the observer is that the opponents of the wet housing projects planned for the Quarterway School area, have given this whole issue far more time and thought than anyone on city council. Council for the most part seem to have made their earlier decisions based on information coming from city staff, which is turning out to be incomplete at best, and completely deceptive at worst.

One of the delegates commented that the reason he was there was because of the way one of the earlier public meetings was conducted dealing with the projects planned for the Quarterway School area. He claims that the first public meeting he attended was run by a biased moderator who would cut off those who spoke in opposition and at one point city staffer Mr. Tucker declared that the projects were 'a done deal'. Implying that the public meeting process was merely a formality and that the decision to proceed had already been made.

Research provided by the delegations opposed to this project, who now have collected over 2,000 signatures on petitions opposing the low barrier project, consistenly refutes information provided earlier to support the projects which show the projects as having no negative impacts on the area and in fact would improve property values. Both assertions, would seem contrary to common sense.

One delegate, who is obviously being affected very negatively by this whole process is a resident who is suffering from different illness, which she associates with the stress brought on by this whole project. This particular person needed to be taken home before the end of the meeting after coming into distress. This whole project, is likely causing an increased burden on the local medical system as fear, worry and stress are proven causes of a whole range of illness.

Some of this city council is being held to account for matters over which they have no direct control, it would seem. However, they should be providing the common sense oversight that is expected of their office with regards to how projects impact local residents. There is a sense that pushing ahead with these projects is still a primary goal of several on council and time will tell if they actually take the public process of these hearings into their decision making processes.

Clearly, it is impossible to justify proceeding with this project in it's current form in light of all the legitimate, rational and logical research which demonstrates it is neither the right project ( no barrier housing), nor the right place ( 80 units next to an elementary school) or the right building ( 4 storeys, 36 units, 4 parking stalls, not conforming to C-31 zoning).

This whole project magnifies the need for ongoing public involvement in the democratic process, and not simply at election time. If it were not for public involvement, Nanaimo could be suffering the immediate and future ills of a bureaucrat driven, city council rubber-stamped social experiment that could have major negative impacts on what is arguably one of the nicest family neighborhoods in Nanaimo.