Dear Editor:
Don Hudgeon has been writing variations of the same letter to this and other papers for years.
In 2008 Hudgeon was calling for the Cooke Street area to be removed from the ALR for housing development.Hudgeon owns property in this area.
In his most recent letter, Hudgeon states that it would be “ridiculous” for a new council to withdraw the application because they would alienate the Agricultural Land Commission.
As it is a legislative requirement of the ALC to preserve agricultural land, the ALC is most likely to be pleased to find that Summerland council supports their mandate.
Furthermore, I would counter that to not withdraw the application would alienate the majority of our community that voiced their opposition at the public hearings and through submissions to the ALC.
Hudgeon asks, “What about the folks who participated in the urban growth workshops and surveys last year? Don’t their opinions matter?”
Yes, they do and that is why the necessity to withdraw the application.
The participants at those workshops to which Hudgeon refers clearly identified “supporting local agriculture and preserving farmland” as one of the top three community needs.
And, as for the survey upon which the final decisions were made, only six out of 141 total respondents identified the Barkwill Cooke area as their first choice for future development.
Hudgeon warns against electing a slate of unknown one-issue people.
From reading the candidates’ platforms and listening to their presentations at the all candidates forums, I would suggest that there are some diverse, talented, knowledgeable and experienced new candidates to choose from.
It is time for a change in thinking and a change in direction towards a more unified and sustainable Summerland.
Barbara Thorburn
Summerland