Dear Editor:
Congratulations to Summerland mayor and council for deciding not to decide just yet on their plan to apply to swap non-viable land for arable land.
During an interview on CBC Radio’s Daybreak, Mayor Janice Perrino stated that there is much that the public doesn’t understand and that extra time is needed to help us to understand.
Here is what I do understand:
1. Local food production is becoming an increasingly important issue worldwide.
2. We have ideal land in the core of Summerland to produce food.
3. Most of the population of Summerland are against the proposed swap, otherwise council would have nothing to fear in holding a plebiscite the fall in conjunction with electing a new council.
4. Two councillors have been sitting on parcels of arable, serviced Agricultural Land Reserve land and could stand to benefit from the land swap.
5. A questionnaire was faithfully filled in by many residents and skewed to fit the designs of council while hopefully pacifying the population.
6. The Summerland Hills land was removed from the ALR in 2005, citing at the time that this land would not support food production. Some of the present council were party to that deal. The switch in opinion is disingenuous in the extreme. Where is the credibility?
7. Summerland residents are being patronized at every turn but will not be fooled by this game of smoke and mirrors.
I look forward with interest to hearing what it is that I don’t presently understand.
Susanne Cooper
Summerland