What will come to be known as “The Fuss In Fairwinds” (‘Fairwinds Kerfuffle’, The NEWS, May 14) was really nothing more than a tempest in a teapot.
The non-event was a panicked, knee jerk-reaction prompted by comments from bcIMC, the company holding ownership of the Schooner Cove/Fairwinds properties and comments from mid-level Bentall/Kennedy functionaries.
The Fairwinds meeting on May 9 was not open to Nanoose Bay residents.
Although a spokesperson roostered praises for the developer and ranted against the due process of local government, Fairwindians do not speak for the community beyond Fairwinds and this mega project is not popular with, nor does it have the support of, the community at large.
It’s no mystery why the approval process for such massive development proposals is proceeding at the current pace.
This is what happens when a 1960s mentality creates an urban containment zone where previously existed only birds, bees, beavers and babbling brooks.
This is what happens when an urban development is forced into the furthest reaches of a rural community.
Prolonged scrutiny prior to approval is what happens when you attempt to service a small city with roads originally designed for access to resource extraction, farming, hunting, recreational pursuits, a dynamite factory and a NATO base.
This is what happens when transportation infrastructure must snake its way through wetlands, riparian zones, sensitive ecosystems and unstable terrain. The history of Fairwinds is the chronicle of potable water deficits. There has never been sufficient water to slake the thirst of the climate refugees who migrate to this area.
The Nanoose Bay community has been subsidizing development servicing for decades and now the entire Oceanside region is being forced to support this development with expanded AWS & ERWS capacity.
Due diligence and justifiable concern for optics and public perception to avoid conflict of interest is what happens when a proposal with potential for adverse impact on the natural and social environment is being vetted by public sector employees who have vested interest in the pension funds managed by bcIMC.
Given the state of golf course communities worldwide, perhaps both parties have made bad decisions.
Jim Lettic
Nanoose Bay