Barbara Yaffe wrote recently in a daily newspaper, "Policies cannot be forced on people, as in a dictatorship. Citizens need information and reassurance."

How right she is. For the past three years I felt this basic principle was sadly lacking by Sooke’s mayor and council, which seemed to act more like the prime minister’s office in Ottawa than a council concerned about its residents. There are some things especially hard to take:

1. The mayor’s remark that $600 in additional sewer taxes is not more than a cup of coffee a day — pretty expensive cappuccino that is — is out of touch with his people. For a lot of residents it would be very hard to pay this extra money plus the substantial hook-up fees. The mayor and most councillors do not live in the sewer area, and are therefore not burdened by the extra costs.
2. There was no public consultation about sewer costs and new boundaries of area serviced by sewers. There was no information on how EPCOR Water Services were selected and how they would build the system. Why were there no public hearings?

The new council should consult the people who pay them!