Editor:
It was with a bizarre intrigue that I read Mr Richardson’s full page letter in the Nov 2 Outlook.
As a physician who recalls a colleague being harangued from his driveway by our at-the-time health minister, I can understand the impropriety and invasion of a protest at a person’s home.
The actions of 20 anti-TSMVPL minded people were at best regrettable and misguided. However, the layout of Mr. Richardson’s letter implying this protest as causative in the $161 million lawsuit reveals a misleading illogic of massive proportion.
Mr. Richardson argues the TSMVPL owners have the best interests of Canmore in mind, referencing an old debt paid. He claims altruism at heart. He goes on to describe having a home in Canmore and his appreciation of the community.
He innately implies, as minority owner of TSMVPL, and with the recent appellate court decision, that TSMVPL will go on to develop the lands. TSMVPL stands to make a sizeable profit.
To then boldly describe the suffering that will descend on the citizens of Canmore due to the $161 million lawsuit leads to a logical impasse. He also ignores the actions of 20 individuals do not speak for the entire citizenry of Canmore. To punish the entire citizenry shows cold-heartedness, not compassionate care for a community he claims to appreciate. Finally, to then deign to speak on behalf of the Alberta judiciary decisions as foregone conclusions was quite the overstep.
So I will afford myself the same overstep, in attempting to write the conclusion at which Mr. Richardson seems to be aiming. If TSMVPL has Canmore’s best interests in mind – and TSMVPL stands to profit on development of the lands, and the current citizens and Town of Canmore, including those who will move to Canmore into new developments, will all suffer due to this long-standing lawsuit – then in the interests of continuing a previously demonstrated altruistic approach and TSMVPL demonstrating the highest integrity as a business, TSMVPL will drop the harmful $161 million lawsuit and the pursuit of damages.
However, perhaps Mr. Richardson disagrees, in which case this whole page advertisement reveals what the Greeks would call hubris.
Matt McIsaac,
Canmore
