Dear Editor:
With regard to John Sharpe's Oct. 31 letter, Meeting numbers a figure of the imagination: In his criticism of Mayor Richard Walton's statements regarding the numbers of participants in the OCP process, Sharpe makes an error in assuming that those who did not engage in the numerous and well publicized meetings represent opposition to the 2030 OCP.
The 20 per cent of the eligible voters that voted during the election determined its outcome, despite whomever the non-participating 80 per cent may have thought more deserving of public office. By not participating the non-voters made their opinion meaningless. Decisions are determined by those who participate, not by those who stay at home.
Similarly, the OCP process was open to every resident in the district. At every event those who attended voiced overwhelming support based on a wide range of criteria framed within a wide perspective. These included concerns for housing for seniors and young people, viable transit options that would counter what has become virtually mandatory automobile use, or the long-term fiscal health of the District of North Vancouver and its ability to provide increasing services to residents without imposing crippling taxes.
At every event, those planning, supporting and putting their efforts into a vision for the future far exceeded any number of voices calling for the district to be hermetically sealed into an animated snow globe of life as it looked in "the good old days."
Just like an election, those who show up make the difference to outcomes. This is democracy. This is how it works.
Doug Curran North Vancouver
