It appears some barbarians have managed to breach our gate.
The mayor and council of Central Saanich in their wisdom have opened the door to big box stores.
Examples of light manufacturing successfully located here are Sherwood Industries, Harbour Cities Cabinets and others. They employ hundreds of employees, who spend money and pay taxes in our community. Other possibilities are high tech companies looking for quality communities where they can work, live and pay taxes – how about Central Saanich? Let’s think outside the big box.
Give the big box stores to someone else. Be creative and thoughtful about what businesses we allow in Central Saanich. Big box stores should never be part of the equation. They don’t enhance our community. In the long run, they degrade it, including eradication of existing, thriving local businesses.
If we don’t give our voices to mayor and council, we will be forced to endure streams of vehicles pouring down every artery to the very heart of this bucolic region. Does the mayor and council believe they will all come down the highway? Say goodbye to rural drives down Oldfield and West Saanich roads.
Hopefully our mayor and council understand the uniqueness of our municipality. I implore them to apply common sense based on our everyday lifestyle. Lack of creativity is not a crime. It just diminishes lifestyles irrevocable.
We all know what follows the barbarians through the gate: the hoards. Welcome hoards; I guess we don’t really want all that breathing space anyway.
Fred Young
Central Saanich