Editor:
I watched as White Rock City Hall closed down parking lots, the pier and playgrounds to enforce social distancing – the obvious and low-hanging fruit dealing with COVID-19.
I am puzzled why emergency or special meetings are not being also called by this council to deal with the real economic fallout and severe consequences of COVID-19 to businesses, homeowners and renters.
With all the extra time off they should be individually working on economic stimuli, such as a zero per cent tax increase, a freeze on utility fee increases, a freeze on staff hiring and seniors support among many others. Already approximately 900 home owners a year are having to defer their taxes.
Affordable housing initiatives seemed to have stalled right at the gate in November 2018 when they were inaugurated.
There seems to be a lot of dancing around real meat-and-potato issues with distractions such as dogs on the promenade or whether the total pier upgrade is more important than housing people in affordable homes.
Perhaps some of us will have to wait for the next civic election in 2022 to elect others who will deliver real change, not just those who pick the low-hanging fruit and are satisfied with photo-oping their way through to 2022.
Garry Wolgemuth, White Rock