Editor:
The Outlook and CBC covered a story about Canmore residents interrupting the Nov. 1 council meeting with concerns over the planned upgrade to the pathway plan along the Bow River. It got so bad the RCMP was called to break up the mele.
I think the mayor and council should be ashamed of their actions. These citizens were simply trying to express their views on a planned upgrade to the West Bow Valley pathway. They had exhausted all other avenues to obtain a voice around an issue of great concern to them. The mayor and council had left them no other choice, refusing to discuss the topic at any level on multiple occasions.
And worse, because of the lack of context, the comments associated with the CBC article quickly devolved into NIMBY name calling and labelling these citizens as “Kanmore Karen’s”. These incredibly insensitive comments were thoughtless and shameful in and of themselves. But it did not need to happen.
This issue has spiralled out of control and it didn’t have to.
The mayor suggests there was an open debate on the pathway when he refers to the debate regarding the original Integrated Transportation Plan of 2018, but that is disingenuous. The Town moved from concept with the ITP to implementation of the pathway with essentially no debate. And suggesting that upgrading this path is akin to repaving a sidewalk is trivializing at best. What was the downside in meeting with these citizens or providing an opportunity for community feedback? Mayor and council may have gotten some good ideas, at worst, they would have provided an opportunity for people to voice their opinions.
Elected officials that are too scared to sit down with his or her constituency because they may have opposing views should not be public officials. Regardless of your position on this issue, this issue has escalated simply because of the mayor and council’s unwillingness to listen and give voice to opposing views. Shame on you.
Bruce Eidsvik,
Canmore
