Regarding the proposed land purchase by Sino Bright [“Powell River land purchase by Sino Bright in jeopardy,” March 7], the article cites, in addition to racism, other possible reasons some oppose the deal, to which I respond: "What lack of transparency? What conspiracy and back-door dealing?”
Powell River Waterfront Development Corporation’s accountant appears personally at open council meetings to provide annual financial statements and answer any questions, most recently on October 2, 2018. PRSC has also provided financial statements to city auditors annually.
Realtors and prospective purchasers have no difficulty contacting the PRWDC and PRSC manager through the front doors of city hall, where he works Monday to Friday. Not a single other person has ever contacted our manager or the city's CFO to ask questions before the sale to Sino Bright was announced. There are no secrets.
As became very clear to a standing room only meeting at the March 5 committee of the whole, the city has an open door policy and the delegation admitted that no requests have ever been made of staff for information prior to bringing forward allegations to council. That same delegation told council that the city’s involvement in PRSC has failed the people and cost taxpayers huge amounts of money.
That is simply not true, as on the remaining lands, after factoring in all debt, the city stands to come out ahead $850,000. So what has the city received in exchange for its involvement in PRSC? Millennium Park, 88 acres; old golf course, 80 acres; “Sino Bright” parcel behind Brooks, 132 acres; Wildwood parcel, 100 acres; Townsite waterfront, 10 acres; and Townsite uplands, 10 acres, for a total of 420 acres.
Yet some are determined to oppose a legal, fair market value sale of 10 acres of raw unserviced land for a language school that will create economic spin-off benefits for us all.
Wayne Brewer, president
Powell River Waterfront Development Corporation
