(The Letter was sent to the AV News on January 8, 2026)
Dear Editor,
I’ve been increasingly disturbed by Mayor and Council’s decisions of late and the latest budget related scandals have only gotten worse:
Ending the City’s relationship with the BCSPCA; proposed ending support for McLean Mill National Historic Site; the Visitor Centre begging for money; Expensive (to city and residents) sprawling and dangerous wildfire interface residential development on 15th contrary to Environmental Policy in the Official Community Plan; the new OCP still months if not years away from completion; And why, for the love of all that is good, are we still sending our community to that old pool?
It seems Council wants to govern based on what services they can cut or pass off, and land they can sell, rather than what they can build and what they can learn from citizens of our City in a time of growth like we haven’t experienced in decades!
In this final budget of their term, it would be, at best, inappropriate for council to make drastic changes. Without a current OCP or a permanent City Manager, it seems irresponsible. They should make a status-quo budget and hand it over to the people of Port Alberni to decide what the City’s priorities should be by voting for the next Council in the October 17, 2026 municipal election.
Sincerely
Chris