To the Editor,
Re: City seeks court order ahead of Colliery protest, June 6.
I attended the city council meeting June 10 to support the people trying to save the Colliery dams and to see for myself if our mayor and councillors are as unsympathetic as they have been made out to be in the media.
The presenters ranged from teenagers to seniors – ordinary people, professionals, etc., and I was impressed with what they said and the emotions shown when they addressed council.
There were a couple of new ideas presented that would have helped ease the tension between council and the public, yet, they were shot down without even being considered.
I was, however, not impressed with the reaction from certain council members and Mayor John Ruttan – especially when presenters voiced their comments directly to individual councillors.
Mayor and councillors are elected to represent and listen to the concerns of the people of Nanaimo. Yet, five members of council seem to be doing the opposite – doing what they want, not what the public wants.
I was also impressed with the closing remarks made by councillors Fred Pattje and Bill Bestwick … very emotional and, in my opinion, from the heart. It showed they are listening to the public.
Thank you to the four councillors and supporters who want to save Colliery Dam Park.
Ken Dixon
Cassidy