It was somewhat reassuring to read the mayor’s New Year’s greeting, where he celebrates health-care workers, local vaccination rates and those of us doing our best to keep our community safe in the face of a pandemic that has turned the world upside down and killed millions [“New Year's Greetings: City of Powell River mayor Dave Formosa,” December 31].
Over the last couple of months, the mayor said very different things in a series of public meetings at Powell River City Hall. Those meetings featured presentations from those who some call anti-vaxxers. Some of those who presented claimed that COVID-19 vaccines have killed more people than the virus itself. Others claimed that current public health guidance is illegal and encouraged the mayor and council to spend municipal tax dollars in court challenges opposing public health guidance.
The mayor and a number of councillors encouraged, supported and sympathized with those presenting the anti-vaxxer viewpoint. In fact, the mayor wished out loud that he could find a way around public health guidance to benefit his businesses [“Concerns expressed to City of Powell River councillors relating to vaccination issue,” October 22].
He also suggested that there might be some kind of conspiracy behind pandemic public health guidance here in British Columbia and around the world.
After all that and as we head toward the third year of the pandemic, it was good to read the mayor’s comments in support of COVID-19 vaccinations and hardworking health professionals who do their best to keep all of us safe.
John Young
Powell River
