Dear editor,

We need financial discipline separating needs from wants.

The city has lost its way with accountability and being financially prudent or responsible with taxpayers鈥� money and if anyone needs to be convinced, simply look at the recent announcement of a $6.8 million pedestrian bridge.

I remember seeing a concept announcement on Dec. 16, 2020 in the Record. This was during COVID when the whole world was in an economic free fall, local businesses shuttered or barely hanging on and this is what the city is working on. Really?

The Dec. 2020 article quotes Coun. Hillian as feeling the bridge would be 鈥渁 huge shot in the arm鈥� for the downtown core and local economy. At that time I wrote him asking for facts or studies as to where all these currently disenfranchised pedestrians and cyclists that would now finally be able to access the downtown core be coming from? He did not answer that question.

The city鈥檚 own study shows two per cent of the local population uses cycles as a main mode of transportation. Wouldn鈥檛 that tend to make this a very costly frivolous project benefiting very few?

Core infrastructure, crime, citizen safety, solving the increasing unhoused should all take priority over a 鈥淚 really want that鈥� bridge serving very few probably getting more use as a backdrop for wedding pictures than any economic boost for the city.

Maybe we could test the new Courtenay pump station (a needed core infrastructure project) by flushing this whole bridge idea?

Phil Diede,

Courtenay