Editor:
Re: Mayor shuts down annual-report critics, June 28.
I would like to respond to White Rock Mayor Wayne Baldwin’s emotional reaction where he cut me off at a public meeting when I spoke of risk.
Baldwin improperly silenced my mic and closed the meeting without due process.
My talk was about the lack of water capacity for fighting fires, and risk to public safety and property should another Five Corner’s fire happen. I was trying to ask the mayor what actions the city is taking to mitigate those risks.
Rather than address concerns, Baldwin closed the meeting. He then quoted me out-of-context on his Facebook page in an attempt to discredit my point.
That the mayor would silence a citizen who is simply asking them to review risks and produce a risk-mitigation plan is concerning. More concerning is that the mayor’s social-media page would be used to downplay those risks and insult members of the public who would raise issues he disagrees with.
I asked about risk to public safety and property, focusing on White Rock’s firefighting capacity, given our limited water supply and lessons learned from the Five Corners fire.
I asked how the mayor could be sure that the city has enough water to fight a larger blaze, such as at the planned 23-storey Parc retirement residence?
I spoke of risk and due diligence and asked if there was a plan. Rather than allowing me to finish, the mayor stormed off, preventing anyone from speaking.
On July 5, R. Baldwin wrote an impassioned letter to the editor (Same story told two ways) that states fire suppression is present in highrise towers. He made a valid point, and I am glad he made it. Had he made his point without condescension, I would have given his letter an A. As is, he gets an ‘A’ for content, but an ‘F’ for style. The discussion should be about public safety, not personal attacks.
Had the mayor listened to my comments and responded with similar facts and discussed the city’s risk-mitigation plan, I would have been quite satisfied. Instead, the mayor got emotional, silenced the mic and stormed off. Sorry, Mayor Baldwin, but that gets an ‘F’ for fail.
To fix a problem, one must first acknowledge there is a problem, and then make a plan to reduce and mitigate those risks.
I mentioned the Grenfell Tower, not because we have flammable cladding material in White Rock, but because a year before the disaster the British government was warned of the risks of this cladding, yet did nothing.
In respect to not listening to concerns of residents, the parallel in White Rock is frightening.
We know we still don’t have enough water to fight the Five Corners fire should it happen again, and the city has no plan to get there. I am still waiting for a reasonable response and a detailed plan. I may be waiting a long time. In the meantime, let us hope that the mayor starts working with residents and businesses to focus on solutions.
Scott Kristjanson, White Rock
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Re: Same story told two ways, July 4 letters.
I believe it is fair to assume that White Rock Mayor Wayne Baldwin is aware of letter-writer R. Baldwin’s opinion(s), and it is hoped that the mayor takes note – two sides to every story, always.
M. Pierpoint-Allen, Surrey