This is with reference to the article “Sidney council signals support for second downtown brewery,” in the Sept. 16 issue of your paper.
The article written by Wolfgang Depner makes it plain that Coun. Sara Duncan has a pronounced bias against retirees who drive cars, which many would term ageism, and that her understanding of the purposes and benefits of residential construction is somewhat limited.
Retirees drive cars because in many cases it is a necessity for them, given the poor bus service in Sidney. Many retirees still like to attend church services, cultural, social and sporting events, to say nothing of going out for lunch or dinner. As well, for many retirees it’s just too far to walk to downtown Sidney and back home carrying bags of groceries.
Coun. Duncan seems to have a very narrow appreciation of the purposes and benefits of residential construction. These go far beyond building, as she puts it, “making people not having to drive.” She ignores job creation, earnings for developers, contractors, sub-contractors, and the resulting multiplier effect – to say nothing of the not inconsiderable tax revenues that accrue to the Town of Sidney.
The council would do well to consider the provision of more parking areas. Retirees will continue to drive gasoline-powered or electric-powered cars, despite the efforts of some municipalities to discourage them. Let’s not make the Town of Sidney one of them.
David Conn
Sidney