Okay, that's probably wishful thinking. This is almost certainly not the last word on the rejected Squamish Oceanfront Development Corporation (SODC) proposal. Especially not if Dawn Lecky has anything to say about it.
Lecky, the wife of SODC board member Ted Prior, is heading a group called Citizens Oceanfront, which has a rather confusing agenda.The group's mandate relies on a belief that information about the charette, the proposed park and the plans for light industry on Oceanfront lands did not reach the public. The solutions, they say, is to educate those who didn't know enough about the deal to support it.
They believe anti-MOU "propaganda" - which included a petition described as dubious, opponents speaking out during forums and a two-page ad written by Coun. Greg Gardner - reached more people than the presumably "real" information presented during three forums organized to get the SODC message out, a survey (described by others as dubious), numerous SODC newspaper columns spanning back to 2004 and full-page SODC ads detailing every step of the process to date.
I'm pretty sure that if there are people left out there who don't know both sides of the issue, they're never going to know. If they're that oblivious, they probably just don't care.
But the Citizens Oceanfront is believed to be representing the unexpressed opinions of this great "silent majority". Those, we are told, are the people who supported the SODC proposal all along but never said anything because they simply expected the deal to go through. It's pretty easy to put words in the mouths of silent people. Come to think of it, couldn't that also qualify as "propaganda"?
Lecky said that this topic has created weariness in the community, and I agree. But there's no solution in making councillors accountable, stopping propaganda or returning to the process with Qualex, as the Citizens Oceanfront ad stated in Oct. 27 issue.
That, to my mind, is like solving the problem of being dumped by getting your parents to tell your siblings to stop badmouthing you and tell your ex to take you back. Where's the dignity?
The focus should be directed toward the exciting prospect of discovering what the community does want for the land. Perhaps the opponents can now prove that they're more than just naysayers and come up with a plan of their own.
Who knows? Their own process may just vindicate the SODC by failing to achieve something viable. I don't think anyone but the most petty-minded among us would believe this to be a victory.
On the other hand, perhaps that would lead to true - not to mention humble - consensus.
