My name is Don Flowers and I am running for Electoral Area C Director. I am retired after working on oil rigs, logging, construction and managing homes for young offenders and for community living. I have been involved in agriculture most of my life and still farm. By inclination, training and necessity, I am a fiscal conservative and this is what pushed me to run.
RDEK decisions, such as Jumbo, have left taxpayers on the hook for millions including paying for a council for a phantom community. Subdivisions, such as ones in Jim Smith Lake, Wardner and Mayook, are being approved without consideration of infrastructure costs, the cumulative effect of subdivisions on the community or environmental impact. In effect, this leaves all of us subsidizing developers.
It is not acceptable to leave the veto to the Agricultural Land Commission or to Transportation when it is our communities being affected.
Short term, these decisions may have a positive effect economically. Long term they will place an increased burden on rate payers. They create a strain on our roads, our school district for bussing, our forest fire interface zone and the integrity of local communities. More long term planning needs to be done and this is not occurring. Our homes are the largest investment most of us have and an improved mechanism is needed to provide both input and transparency to this process.
I have commuted up to 1,500 km from home for work so I recognize the need to promote development in this community. However, it needs to be done responsibly or the costs outweigh the benefits. Economically, we also need an improvement in broadband and this should continue to be actively pursued.
I recognize I would only be one voice in a group of 15 but it is a voice that needs to be heard. Thank you for your consideration.