Dear Editor:
Re: Corrigan and team have been good for Burnaby, Letters to the editor, Burnaby NOW, Oct. 31.
Mr. Myles appears to be more than happy with how Mayor Corrigan and the Burnaby Citizens' Association are running Burnaby, but I fail to find his reasons convincing.
First let's deal with the BCA's well worn "Best-managed city in Canada" award. A study done once, in 2009. And while it was an excellent achievement at the time, it was five years ago. Burnaby has changed a lot since then. And the fact the study was never repeated says a lot.
So instead of dwelling on an outdated report, let's look at a more recent study, Moneysense's "Canada's Best Places to Live 2014." Burnaby is ranked 102. And if you look at where other local municipalities are ranked - like Coquitlam at 84, Port Moody at 65, Richmond at 61, Delta at 48, and Vancouver at 39 - one has to wonder why Burnaby is rated so much lower in comparison. So while Mr. Myles defies people to list a single municipality that's doing a better job than Burnaby, this study shows there are 101 of them.
As for the lower tax rate in Burnaby, it's not surprising given that Mayor Corrigan appears to outright refuse to build infrastructure in our city. By the city's own admission they are falling well behind on this, and yet council continues to push higher densities. Just look at how many areas of Burnaby are lacking basic amenities such as sidewalks. Tax rates are low because services levels in Burnaby are equally as low.
On top of that, BCA's own policies have made it prohibitively expensive for neighbourhoods to get infrastructure improvements. Property owners have to pay a large amount to have infrastructure installed, and then the city charges 8.75 percent interest on that installation, which is effectively another tax. So sidewalks will never get installed in neighbourhoods, as it is simply too expensive for most homeowners to afford.
Without a doubt the weakest point of Mr. Myles' argument is his statement that our city "provides all the necessary services to address the needs of other less fortunate." Apparently that does not include providing shelter to those without homes. And that is a pretty glaring omission, Mr. Myles. Burnaby continues to be the only city in the Lower Mainland to not have homeless shelters, and even in the mayor's latest response to homelessness, it's just more of the same old song and dance. Yes, homelessness is a complex matter, but you need to start somewhere, and a safe, dry place to sleep is an excellent place to start.
I note that there's a gentleman with the same name as the letter's author that used to run for the BCA, and I can't help but wonder if it is one and the same. It certainly would explain his attitude towards those that dare run against Mayor Corrigan and the BCA, and why, in his view, no one could possibly run Burnaby better. Unfortunately, I do not hold the same opinion.
My biggest problem with the BCA is their attitude. The "we're so good, no one could possibly do any better" attitude that is evident even in Mr. Myles' letter. This attitude shows in how our mayor deals with other levels of government, and it shows in how our councillors deal with citizens.
And even when the BCA gets caught with their hand in the cookie jar (or the golf bag in this case), instead of taking ownership of their mistake and making changes, our city officials instead hijack public opinion polls in attempt to silence the issue. And this attitude needs to change.
It's plain to see that the BCA has stagnated over the years without opposition and continues to alienate voters (look at the voter turnout in Burnaby). Burnaby needs to have someone that is not afraid to call out city hall when it gets out of line. And this election gives us the opportunity to do that.
Keith Bemister, Burnaby
