– RJ Senko is a Vice-President at the Esquimalt Chamber and President of RJStrategies. He can be reached at 250.888.3534.
ESQUIMALT – Anyone taking a drive around Esquimalt these days will see signs of economic development. From the site preparation happening for Mark Eraut’s Esquimalt Road condominium project to the new Tutor House liquor store at Admirals Road or the Red Barn redevelopment across the street there are positive signs that Esquimalt is awakening from a rather prolonged development slumber.
There are also signs of impending construction along Lampson Street with Aragon clearing land at the English Inn for its hotel improvements and future condominium developments. Likewise, preliminary work is underway for the townhouse development just north of Esquimalt Road.
With all this development underway, it is vitally important that citizens have faith in Council’s capacity to properly manage the development process so that the community fully realizes the benefits of these projects. Unfortunately, the way Council has handled the sewage treatment issue gives us little confidence that Council has such capacity.
For example, Council originally capitulated saying it had no authority to alter the decision regarding the plant location. Then we were told Council did actually have authority to issue a development permit and therefore, Council had a wide range of options in determining the final outcome of the project.
When Council said it had no authority, the Chamber asked for a full accounting of all the advice it received in reaching that conclusion. Unfortunately, Council has yet to provide any answers and in the meantime, has now reversed its no authority position to that of being in a position to grant or deny a development permit. Such a dramatic about face deserves an explanation but Council has provided none.
Unfortunately, until Council provides full disclosure of the all the advice related to this monumental flip-flop, citizens would be right to wonder whether Council has the capacity to properly manage development. While the Chamber supports economic development, we do so as a means of improving the over-all well being of our members and the community.
However, if our Council doesn’t have the capacity to ensure we achieve optimum benefits from these developments, then the people we entrusted to look after our best interests are shortchanging us all.
