Dear Editor,

I am truly scared! We have now arrived at a turning point in the history of Cumberland, and the people who have the power to decide our fate ARE NOT LISTENING! Trilogy Corp is making us an offer that we MUST refuse. If we accept this Trojan horse, we may see our children paying five times as many taxes as we are now for the rest of their lives, mortgaged to the ears, while they search for a parking places in smog-choked wastelands of Comox Valley Big Box Mart…

NOW HEAR THIS! Trilogy does NOT intend to pay for our infrastructure upgrade! Their Memorandum of Agreement, (submitted late at last week’s council meeting, as if it was a mere trifle) states that they will “help” us obtain financing. Their amenities package essentially consists of $3.5 million, which is about enough to buy three of their nice lots on the Lot 9 hill. We are still responsible for our own leaking water and sewer system. Why would we go for a deal like this? You couldn’t pay me enough!

The most responsible action our council could take at this juncture would be to declare a complete moratorium on development, as other communities have done, while they gather more information about exactly what it would cost the taxpayers to rebuild the services.

And, while they’re at it, explain it to US, the ones who will foot the bill. Our OCP outlines the kind of development we need at the interchange, and Trilogy is not it! They have been battling with us for years now, trying to amend and rezone us up the yinyang. This alone tells us they do not have our OCP at heart, as they claim, and our council’s support of the Trilogy vision tells us that council does not support the OCP vision of Cumberland.

It is truly sad and, yes, very scary, that our only democratic clout is the next election. I want a mayor and council who will welcome public input, meetings, and petitions BEFORE they make their decisions. Yeah, in a perfect world….

Teresa Wild
Cumberland