Editor:
Earlier this year, I presented to White Rock council on why I personally felt it was important for them to support their electorate by taking a positive position on medical marijuana (Support sought for medical cannabis, Jan. 21).
I spoke for five minutes and shared my own journey, in addition to explaining that more sick people are learning of its medical benefits.
White Rock does not operate in a bubble. Increasing numbers of its people are travelling to dispensaries operating in Vancouver or on the Island. To the south, Washington state has even legalized cannabis.
However, after being reminded to keep to my time limit, I got not a single question from the mayor and councillors. That lack of both engagement and inquisitive thinking does not represent the city well.
Over the following months, I have read letters in PAN about a council that disparages employee’s job concerns as trivial, in addition to a letter from C. Richards on March 4 (Question period stifles dissent), objecting to the procedure where Mayor Wayne Baldwin “shot down” any attempts at questions regarding a new highrise in a “strangled forum.”
I live just outside the boundaries of White Rock, so cannot vote in the fall election. However, for the good people of White Rock, they should carefully note that if they vote for the incumbents they know exactly what they will be getting – more of the same: a lack of debate, an absence of original thinking and a continuing decline of this fine city. I would suggest they need new thinking and a change of control for the future.
David Hutchinson, Surrey