by David Moore Powell River politics sometimes resembles a stage play which blends elements of farce, pantomime and cutting irony. Irony currently dominates the public library discussion. I’d like to see an end to the two-faced nonsense that’s masquerading as due process by both City of Powell River council and Save Willingdon Beach group.
For the council’s part, consider how ironic it is that most of the current team ran and won the last municipal election in a state of hysterical reaction against the proposal by the former mayor to hold a referendum. The mayor of the time had the brazen audacity to suggest that a decision on the location of a significant public investment for sewage treatment should be put to a democratic vote by the taxpayers. This triggered a lynch mob reaction with cries of betrayal from our current mayor who then ran and won to save the Catalyst Paper Corporation co-treatment deal and by extension to save Powell River.
Six months later we are now hearing calls in favour of a referendum on the Powell River Public Library site and how ironic that some of last year’s referendum naysayers now see this as reasonable and fair because the community is divided. And last year it wasn’t? By the way, some of these same folks were promoting a zoning change on the Willingdon site to allow for commercial development. Does this have “hidden agenda subplot” written on it, or is it just me? Is a referendum an act of democracy or political expedience?
For the “Save the Beachers,” the irony exceeds the above by a wide margin. There are lots of people who care deeply about parks in Powell River, and heaven knows there are parks which are threatened and worthy of saving. I think that Millennium Park deserves a citizens group to save the trees (which are slated for logging). I think the park on Valentine Mountain deserves an outcry to save the trees in the forest surrounding the mount (also slated for logging). I think the Sunshine Coast Trail deserves a save the trail campaign because massive commercial logging is causing significant damage to the trail because there are no formal protections for the integrity of the trail. Similar threats endanger the natural environment along the Powell Forest Canoe Route and at other local landmarks like Stillwater Bluffs. How ironic that the Save Willingdon Beach supporters make no mention of these real threats to Powell River parklands in their myriad defences of their anti-library / save the beach rhetoric. When will the masks come off and the truth be known?
A referendum on the library is not needed because the community is not divided. Powell River people love books and also love parks. Let’s close the curtain on this theatre of the absurd.
David Moore is a resident and taxpayer in rural Powell River.
