Dear Editor. Councillor Dave Loewen says we have to look for hand-outs from the Federal Government to pay for our infrastructure, which makes sense, because, we have to give $17.5 million dollars to the YMCA, don’t you know?
Dave Loewen, along with most of the current Council chose to squander Abbotsford’s tax dollars on glitzy, showy, mega projects, rather than use the money entrusted to their care for the boring, bread and butter needs of our City, water, sewer, ageing infrastructure, and other facilities for locals to use.
Council talked about needing more recreational facilities as far back as 2005. If that was a legitimate need back then, what can explain the enormous campaign launched by Council and staff to get a ‘YES’ vote for the Abbotsford Entertainment and Sports Centre?
How did the needs of our local boys and girls, teens, middle-aged and seniors get so badly derailed, instead, pouring millions into the white elephant on King Road – for BIG NAME entertainment, and BIG TIME hockey?
Ah, but now we’ve moved into the big leagues. We can play with celebrities now.
The AESC was never built with the needs of our own people in mind. At the very time that Mark Taylor in Parks and Rec, was lamenting the shortage of local pools and fitness facilities, he nonetheless joined in using over a hundred-thousand of our money to sway approval for the ill-conceived Plan A.
Not knowing how to operate the arena, City Hall signed a ten year contract, so any profit that might, eventually, have come our way, heads south in Global Spectrum’s pockets.
Worse followed when Council bribed a hockey team to play in the AESC, with an annual $5.7 million guaranteed subsidy.
City Hall would not let us see that contract for a long nine months — after signing it. They knew it was a shabby deal for the taxpayers of Abbotsford.
Dave Loewen, you bear a huge responsibility for the very bad state of our finances. We see no contrition from you. Only the same inability to comprehend what it means to care, and watch over the City that you want to govern.
Your determination to give away multi-million dollars to the YMCA shows a man bereft of common sense.
Gerda Peachey