Candidates for election to the sixth City of Powell River Council seat were largely in agreement with each other at an all-candidates forum held prior to the Saturday, April 6, civic byelection.
The forum, sponsored by Powell River Chamber of Commerce, drew about 70 community members who came out to hear responses by Al Drummond, George Doubt and Alan Rebane to questions asked by the audience. The atmosphere in Powell River Recreation Complex Evergreen Theatre was polite, with no volatility from the candidates or audience, and candidates frequently said they were in agreement with others’ statements.
The election was triggered after the October 2018 civic election, where Doubt was proclaimed the winner of the sixth seat on council by a two-vote margin over Drummond. A court action was launched by Drummond to contest the seat after he alleged voting irregularities. The Supreme Court overturned Doubt’s election and ordered a new election for the vacated seat.
At the all-candidates forum, predominant issues in the minds of residents asking questions surrounded the Townsite area, investment and the economy, the waterfront, the former Inn at Westview and the establishment of biking lanes in the city.
The first question of the night was: “What worries the candidates about the issues Powell River is facing and how they may be perceived by people and investors outside the community.”
Drummond, the first to respond, said what worries him is the perception that people outside the community may have about what is going on in Powell River now.
“There are a number of issues in the community people are concerned about, from wastewater treatment and so on, but the recent land deals that are perceived by the public to be not as transparent as they could have been sends the wrong message outside this community,” he said. “The fact that Sino Bright has collapsed because of perceptions of how they would be received by the people of Powell River doesn’t send a very good message.”
Doubt said Sino Bright recently wrote to the city that it was pulling out of the offer to purchase 10 acres of land next to Townsite. He said in the letter, the owners stated discomfort with civic discourse, such as references to comments in the newspaper that were talking about ethnic origin, and disparaging Sino Bright and what it could do for the community.
“I don’t think that reflects the character of Powell River,” said Doubt. “It’s an open, inclusive and tolerant community that we live in.”
Doubt said he has heard concerns about openness in civic government and that he agrees more can be done to be more transparent and communicate better.
Rebane said issues such as Sino Bright affect the community tremendously.
“It was completely mishandled, I believe,” said Rebane. “I saw the letter from Sino Bright and they are not pulling out. With good public relations, I think it would be a lot easier to move forward with Sino Bright.”
