Number of Gibsons residents oppose automatic loan approval

They want referendum about Town borrowing $2.7 million; Silas White says referendum is costly, and public supports replacing water infrastructure

(By News Desk)

The Town of Gibsons wants approval to borrow more than $2.7 million through a so-called alternative approval process (AAP). Mayor Silas White  says the public is extremely supportive; a number of citizens are calling for a referendum.

With the alternative approval process, citizens automatically approve the loans unless at least 10 per cent of eligible voters let the town know they oppose the process. In that case, the town may hold a referendum. 

The Town wants to borrow $825,000 for improving sewer infrastructure, to be paid back in 10 years, and $2,735,000 for water mains, to be paid back in 20 years. 

Gibsons resident John Roper opposes the AAP. “The Town wants to borrow [more than] $2.7 million, but the scope of the work is insufficiently defined,” he told The Coast Clarion. “Staff can just spend money without us knowing exactly what it’s for. How much is for necessary repair and upgrades, and how much is for accommodating developers?

‘If we have a referendum, the Town will need to give us more information,” he said. 

White sees no need for a referendum. “We’ve had community dialogue about the budget in the last two years, no one opposed the proposals then. The need to borrow has been in our capital plan, with very well-attended public dialogues, and people were extremely supportive. A survey last year showed that asset management was the number one priority, and we consulted the public on different projects. A referendum is not necessary, it would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.”

“This [AAP} process is not ok,” said Mike Storr, a member of the Gibsons Waterfront Defence Association (GWDA). “We taxpayers need to be fully part of any major borrowing. AAP’s are not fair to us.” He wants a referendum. 

He says his memory is longer than the two years mentioned by White. In 2014, the Town became concerned about the need to upgrade the Prowse Road Sewage Lift Station because of the sewage the George development would create. 

“Documents accessed via the Town’s website and from Freedom of Information requests reveal that beginning in 2014, the Town stated that the George developer would be responsible for paying all the costs incurred due to the expected increase in sewage from the George,” GWDA told The Coast Clarion.

On October 30, 2014, the Town’s then Director of Engineering, Dave Newman, sent an email to the George developer’s representative, Art Phillips, stating that the developer should pay for the whole upgrade of the lift station,  which would cost $593,000. 

Several other Town documents GWDA supplied to The Coast Clarion confirm this: the developer would pay. 

But on April 30, 2019, the Town produced a staff report announcing an alternative approval process to borrow $1,760,000 “for the purpose of undertaking upgrades to the Prowse Road Lift Station,” documents show.

The Town’s notice did not mention the George and did not explain why the costs were shifted from the developer onto the municipality, nor why the cost had risen by $1,167,000 — an increase of 297 per cent over the estimate of 2014. 

A month later, five citizens wrote a letter to the Town claiming that it had violated the Community Charter by providing benefits to a business. They asked for an investigation, which led to a public rant by the Town’s CAO Emanuel Machado.

The citizens asked for a referendum. More than the required 10 per cent of eligible voters filled out the form. During the campaign, the Town’s then Director of Infrastructure Services harassed volunteers in Sunnycrest mall who were promoting the referendum. A volunteer withdrew because she no longer felt safe, GWDA told The Coast Clarion. Canvassing activities were cut short. 

GWDA complained to then mayor Bill Beamish. Beamish answered that he had forwarded the complaint to Machado, who never responded. 

The opponents lost the referendum by 38 votes. Eventually, the Town decided to charge the George developer $330,516.79 for the upgrade to the lift station. The $1,760,000 loan did not happen. 

“This whole issue [the present AAP] is really bringing back memories of 2019 and the deception that abounded then,” GWDA said. They hope people will fill out forms asking for a referendum. 

The sewage infrastructure for which the Town wants to borrow $825,000 is for the pipes leading from the wastewater treatment plant to the ocean. Other components of the sewer system need to be replaced as well, the Town website says. “This will minimize the need for costly emergency repairs and ensure reliable, responsible service is provided.” 

White is not worried about the outcome of a possible referendum. “I’m fully confident the vast majority of voters support our plans,” he said. 

A number of Gibsons residents recently received an anonymous pamphlet in the mail opposing both the alternative approval process and the loans. 

White wonders who is behind it. “They [the author of the pamphlet] are not offering solutions. They do not give information which is on the Town’s website. They are trying to force an expensive referendum that will no doubt see a majority of the people supporting our plans.”

Those who oppose the alternative approval process and want a referendum can fill out the forms below. The deadline  is Wednesday, July 3, at 4:00 pm. Forms can be dropped off at Town hall. 

https://gibsons.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/AAP-Single-Elector-Response-Form-Bylaw-1313-1.pdf

https://gibsons.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/AAP-Single-Elector-Response-Form-Bylaw-1313-1.pdf