Last night, the City’s consultant working on the OCP said that there must be a balance between statements of principle and prescription (flexibility and certainty) in the OCP. I don’t disagree with that, but I remain concerned about creating policies that might discourage creativity, or worse, end up ignored because they are unrealistic, impractical or completely inflexible. Read on »
All this froth about building heights in the town centre is distracting from meaningful conversation. The OCP should be about principles, not prescriptions. I thought we learned this with the last one. If the policies are not backed up by defensible, logical purpose — if they are arbitrary — they are vulnerable to challenge. Read on »
What kind of community do you want to live in?
I wish I lived in a community where people treated each other with respect, even if they each hold contrasting opinions. I wish I lived in a community where those differences were approached with curiosity: an interest in learning the reason for the difference, an effort to empathize and see things from the perspectives of others. Read on »
In the minutes from the public meetings last week, several residents are recorded as having said that the property owner is trying to make a profit by redeveloping his property. I think it’s fairly safe to brand this a truism. Read on »
If we’re destroying our own habitat as a result of our choices of what kind of car, clothes and food we buy, and if healthier choices are available on the market, who’s fault is it? Read on »
I strongly encourage everyone interested in making positive change in their community to attend the workshops being facilitated by Dream Vancouver, Oct 21 & 22. They are about successful methods for fostering civic engagement. Read on »
The difference between “critical” and “cynical” is an incredibly important one. One seeks to improve, the other simply breeds contempt. Read on »
I want to live in a White Rock that is clean, comfortable, and beautiful with people who are healthy and happy.
I suspect there would be consensus on this statement in the community. Where we find conflict is in 1) how we define those adjectives, 2) the different visions each conjures, and 3) how to achieve them. Read on »
It appears with each passing day that there are fewer and fewer trees in this city. I suspect there are a number of reasons for this. Read on »