Happy pushing for 'yes'
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Updated: October 28, 2009 11:42 AM
Editor:
When I was approached to be a campaign manager by a group of concerned Cranbrook residents who were interested in getting out the positive message of the East Hill Boundary Extension, I had zero hesitation in agreeing to help. I love this city. I’ve lived here since I was seven years old. And even though during my Grade 12 year at Mt. Baker, I swore I would never return (didn’t we all?!). Return I did, first during summer breaks throughout university and then back full time after that. It hasn’t always been easy. Jobs in this town for young women in their mid-twenties with impractical English Literature degrees can be difficult to come by! But Cranbrook is where my roots are, it’s where all my best memories are from, it’s where my husband and I bought our first home, and it’s where we’ll welcome our first child. I want nothing but the best for Cranbrook. Like most of you, I don’t want higher taxes, enormous crowds, crime-filled streets or, God forbid, traffic jams! But that’s not what this referendum is about and that’s not what will happen if this expansion goes through. The boundary extension is simply about planning ahead for well into the future. I agree – we don’t need all of the land right now. But such is life that this opportunity has presented itself right now. And it’s a great one. As other communities struggle with where they will find more land to grow, we have been given an opportunity to settle that question for the following generations of Cranbrook residents. It’s like taking care of your body in your youth so that you can reap the benefits of good health in your senior years. So don’t buy into the fear and negativity that has been circulating. Get the facts and choose to be positive. Realize that this referendum has the ability to change Cranbrook for the better. Cranbrook will get a say in any development that takes place in the East Hill, rather than the RDEK calling the shots. And while all service costs are born by the developers, it’s reassuring that these future residents will broaden our tax base and help share the load instead of simply paying their taxes directly to the Province via the RDEK. Growth and development will result in more plentiful and diverse job opportunities in Cranbrook, allowing our municipality to welcome new businesses and industry. For a young person who has had to struggle to remain in the town she grew up in, while her two older brothers were forced to leave for lack of work, that sounds like a wonderful opportunity to me. On Nov. 14, I encourage you to vote yes.
Courtney Magro
Manager for the Yes to Opportunity Campaign
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