Those of us at last month’s special council meeting at Monterey Centre learned that the new Oak Bay Lodge would not have been for Oak Bay residents.
Certainly, it would have provided those residents with an opportunity to stay in Oak Bay – those lucky enough to get into their ‘preferred’ facility. The new lodge would also have provided a home for people from Gordon Head, Fairfield and Fernwood, among others, and in some cases it would not have been their preferred facility.
This is a result of the Vancouver Island Health Authority’s first-available-bed policy. I am not suggesting that this policy is flawed, nor am I suggesting that it is a reason to reject the development of a new lodge.
But those who argue that the proposed lodge is for the local community, or who write that the Oak Bay Lodge ‘attracts’ people from other communities, are uninformed or neglecting to tell the whole story.
All of our councillors said they would strive to improve community consultation. First, they must take the time to gather and distribute important information, so that the community they are consulting shares views based upon facts and not rumours.
John Taylor
Oak Bay