Editor: We, too, agree with the points made (in recent letters expressing concerns) about community growth and how the supporting infrastructure lags irresponsibly behind.
There must be a balance wherein infrastructure development falls into place with a community鈥檚 overall growth.
The disconnect between building permits being issued while schools, hospitals, public transportation and other services remain unattended has been proven unacceptable.
Many of the services mentioned are the responsibility of other and various levels of government. Yet that is insufficient rationale for them not to be attended to in a timely and proactive manner.
One would have thought this was well-learned from fall-out of Willoughby鈥檚 intensive growth and subsequent lack of service upgrades, from schools to parking.
People are hired and elected to manage our communities both as they are and for the future. Perfection is not what is expected of these persons, but learning and continuous improvement certainly are.
Knowing this, why are past mistakes and errors in judgment not being learned from?
The practice of community consultation has become nothing more than a smoke-and-mirrors game, carried out merely to meet the requirements of regulation.
These consultations hold little if any sway upon decision makers. How is it that our hired or elected decision makers became so well informed that the expressed concerns of the community may be ignored?
If money is the problem, then perhaps it is time to put a (here comes the dreaded 鈥淢鈥� word) moratorium on residential building permits until all infrastructure inadequacies are identified and resolved (this includes funding).
Blaming infrastructure shortcomings on other and various levels of government or funding is shortsighted.
Such excuses are no longer acceptable. Community planning includes all the needs of the community 鈥� not just the better tax-generating aspects of it.
If persons are not up to the task to fix this misalignment, and if regulations are astray of what needs to be done, then let鈥檚 change them.
Stephen Ross & Robert Pollard,
Murrayville
