Dear editor,

I applaud you for bringing in some energetic new journalists to the Comox Valley Record, but I鈥檝e had some thoughts. Connor McDowell is on the 鈥榣ocal government鈥� beat, and while I think it鈥檚 very important to be in the know, and ready to be critical, his most recent opinion piece on the 鈥済arbage police鈥� has thrown subtlety out the window, having a sneering tone throughout.

To those of us who know the individuals who serve our community as civil servants, we know them to be complete people with families, hobbies, and a passion for making the Comox Valley healthy for now and for the future. We see the people who are proposing bylaws to clean our air at school pick-up zones and share concerns about air quality and the rates of asthma. We learn about the limits of our landfill and the incredible education efforts our CVRD folks are putting into keeping dangerous goods and recyclables out of the landfill so we are not facing a crisis of trash. For instance, who has to sort and organize recycling? What happens when there are non-recyclables or dangerous materials in a load of recycling? Does it contaminate entire loads of recycling, turning the best efforts of many into trash? Before reporting and trying to stir up controversy, a well-researched article about the issue would educate himself and the valley about why we need this new system. Facts, history and interviews with the hard-working folks at the landfill would be a much more compelling piece than his opinion. Journalism, not punditry, please.

I think it鈥檚 important that the people reporting on our local government spend time understanding the goals of our civil servants, who care deeply about our community.

Our local government is working hard for us, and it鈥檚 easy to blow hot air and complain rather than engage more deeply. The residents of the Comox Valley deserve reporting without a side of sneer.

Nicole Bertram,

Courtenay