Desperately needed seniors care and health worker housing, child care space and a renewed Lynn Valley Legion. That’s a proposal set to go before District of North Vancouver council soon, and it should be a slam dunk.
The debate at this point, however, is whether it is worthy of being expedited through the usual years-long process to get approved. Some neighbours and council members say no.
It’s true there are some unanswered questions about the project so early on. It’s not clear whether it will receive outside funding to make it viable.
But if the offer is as half as good as it appears, no one who is fit for council could say no. And the viability of the project may be threatened by bureaucratic box ticking.
The fact that we are having this debate at all is an indictment of the process itself.
Our society faces tremendous and urgent problems right now, in our housing, in our climate and in our healthcare systems, yet our governments operate on systems that take years to reach decisions.
In an emergency – and these are all emergencies – time is of the essence. Of course, a project such as this should sail through with as few municipal obstacles as possible.
But as that happens, it’s time the district re-evaluated the process more broadly.
While council ticks boxes, the clock is ticking too.
What are your thoughts? Send us a letter via email by clicking here or post a comment below.
