Eleven thousand of us live in a delightful town. It is clear that we live in one of the best places on Earth.
We are also fortunate to enjoy the benefits of a small town in terms of Town Hall. There you can meet with the elected council. You can participate in public meetings. You can take your questions about upcoming development plans and have them answered. You can use the computer right in the lobby to access information about all the goings-on in town.
We have all the rights afforded us by the laws of the land, including the right to ask questions of our Town Council. And we have the right to our opinion and to express it.
With rights come responsibilities. Major responsibilities include voting, paying taxes, obeying the law and being informed about the issues of the day.
Key to being informed about the issues, is actually taking the time to do some research. By all means listen to your friends and neighbours, but also take the initiative to do your own critical thinking and dig for the facts.
Go to Town Hall where you will find a building full of helpful and courteous people able to help you find relevant information. Use your computer or the ones in the library or at Town Hall to read all the reports, studies, drawings, presentations, agendas and correspondence on your chosen subject. Go look at the area in question. Look for other sources of information too and then build your position on a foundation of available facts.
Let’s be thankful for the town that Sidney is and work together to make it “the best seaside town in Canada — vibrant, unique, welcoming.”
Don Carscadden, Sidney