Dear Editor:
I was rather taken aback when I went to the Summerland website to participate in the “do we want a prison” survey.
Despite not having completed it yet, I saw no survey, only the warning that “Once you complete the survey, the survey will no longer be available.”
It happens that I do not use a Windows computer, and I know others with non-Windows computers who encountered the same difficulty.
That was bad enough, but worse was that while trying to figure out why this was happening I soon learned that it was actually very easy to take the survey multiple times if you know a little about computers.
Clearly the results of such a survey are then of little value.
I pointed out these shortcoming in email correspondence with municipal staff, but did not find their response reassuring.
It alarms me greatly a survey that makes it hard for some people to participate, and all too easy for others, is being used to inform important municipal decisions.
Andrew Gray
Summerland
