Dear Editor,
Re: Councils Looking to Grow Together in April 4 Western Wheel.
Reading this article makes you wonder why we even vote. The politicians simply don’t listen. The story reported that amalgamation was put twice before the voters of Turner Valley and Black Diamond in a plebiscite, and twice it was rejected – in 1997 and 2007.
Nevertheless, the politicians won’t let it die. In the 2017 election, every candidate in Black Diamond spoke of amalgamation as if it was inevitable. What does it take to get their attention?
I put it down to a tedious lack of imagination. Amalgamation is a shiny object that distracts the voter’s attention from the fact that none of the candidates have any original ideas. Meanwhile, legalized pot seems to be enjoyed early among those who wrote the “Joint” Growth Strategy. By the year 2075, they estimate 26,000 people will live in the two towns, up from roughly 4,000 presently. Really? Where is the water going to come from? Downstream, Okotoks is already looking for a water pipeline from Calgary. What’s going to happen when 20,000 more people and commercial businesses and industries are taking more water upstream? What’s going to happen if we have a year or two of drought?
Planners who miss the obvious, and politicians who lack imagination and won’t listen anyway are bad ingredients for the common good.
Regards,
Vince Curtis
Black Diamond
