Abbotsford Chamber of Commerce President Mike Welte was at Abbotsford Council’s regular meeting Monday night to introduce the Chamber’s Abbotsford 2020 project.
In conjunction with the Abbotsford School District, the Abbotsford Foundation and the University of the Fraser Valley the Chamber is asking citizens to contribute bold and innovative ideas to be used in shaping the future of the city.
Welte showed council the Abbotsford 2020 website and asked for council’s support for the project. He also encouraged residents of Abbotsford to go to the website and join in the discussion.
The words “Bold ideas” resonate loud and clear…. two Chamber bold
ideas Arena/hockey and P3 Water come instantly to mind.
With the beginnings of a new OCP on the horizon, you would of
thought the City of Abbotsford would have began “citizen engagement”
before embarking on changing the existing “City Official Community Plan.”
While the Chamber of Commerce has taken on this intiative to ensure
the voice of business or more like the voices of certain businesses
in this city, who they represent, where does that leave the rest of the
citizens and businesses in this city?
They get to wait until the city has completed the OCP and then they
get to have input.
Are we serious about building an inclusive community?
Given, the contradictory nature of the C7 zoning, which resulted
in the vote against a low barrier housing project in the so-called C7 Commercial zone, where by the ACS, I am told was not consulted
about a choice to remain in the C5 vs C7 zone could’ve been avoided
by not including community services in with this special C7 commercial
zone.
In 2009, the Abbotsford Chamber presented it’s so-called “priority projects” titled “under the storm,” at the beginning of the economic
downturn.
The message: The city must forge ahead with our priority projects,
despite the economic slowdown.
Abbotsford Bold 2020 message with the revamp of the OCP?
‘Bold new ideas” of the Abbotsford Chamber of Commerce, which
include their various ideas about growth and development, thinly
disquised, under the heading “Abbotsford 2020,’ a voice of the
citizens of Abbotsford?
Why are we looking to 2020? The city has no money and the focus
should be on doing more with less and figuring how to eliminate the
enormous hockey/arena subsidies, so the city can have the funds
before embarking on bold new ideas.