I am not a NIMBY, despite this characterization applied by the majority of council to anyone opposed to their views. I am not opposed to respectful development or to the multi-unit missing-middle housing required by provincial legislation.
Like many, I prefer an organic and evolutionary approach to urban development, but I recognize the need to accommodate a growing population.
I simply do not want to live in an imposed community that places a higher priority on developers’ needs and municipal revenues than the well-being of its residents.
I do not want to live on streets that are concrete tunnels of tightly compacted soviet-style housing, out of character with my neighbourhood, with limited sunlight, no setbacks, no trees and no green space other than the odd clinging vine. (There is actually a development proposal where this is the only green space.)
That is not a livable community. It is also not respectful development.
I will tell the mayor and council that I cannot complete this survey because I refuse to participate in a process with predetermined outcomes. I will follow the example of the Rockland Neighbourhood Association and call on the mayor and council to rescind this survey, to replace it with an independently developed unbiased survey that actively seeks all points of view and to extend the time frame for completion.
Like the association, I will also call for the survey to not be restricted to a digital form but be made accessible to all. I urge all residents who care about their city to do the same.
As Calvert says: “We deserve no less and the principle of democracy demands it.”
https://www.timescol...-survey-8562614
Edited by Victoria Watcher, 06 April 2024 - 04:14 AM.