Banff Mayor Karen Sorensen is quoted as saying, “I am proud of the past eight years, most particularly the new elementary school.”
History, I suppose, is selective, and many of us remember much more:
A new pedestrian bridge that went up that resulted in a 2014 lawsuit by opposing residents subjected frequently to noise and the smell of raw sewage.
A pay parking survey that sparked a citizens’ petition in which 400 signatures were thrown out.
The first ever commercial dormitories for over 150 hotel workers in the middle of a residential street, opposed by the whole neighbourhood, but approved and constructed anyway.
A $60,000 bike lane erected on Banff Avenue at night, closing one lane for weeks, long after emergency services admitted they had grave concerns.
The council overruling its own Development Appeal Board’s decision to require more parking stalls by developers in favour of a bylaw that reduces parking stalls at a new town-apartment project, and future developments.
Height variances for new hotels were allowed that obstruct mountain views, while policies have been enacted that increase population density on every street.
Formal inquiries have occurred that have brought into question the moral, if not legal, conduct of public officials.
An exposé revealed that hundreds of hospitality workers in Banff live under same-day eviction notices should they quit their jobs, to which the mayor had no reply.
It’s been a disturbing eight years. If there has been much to celebrate, it’s been sadly overshadowed.
But what is the common denominator? For me, it is simple. It is respect for the residents and government ethics. Without this there is an erosion of public trust.
Jamie MacVicar
Banff
