At the North Saanich Council meeting on April 3, CAO Tim Tanton reported that despite the termination letter, MODUS offered to complete the draft OCP with a budget of $49,000. Mayors Jones and Couns did not accept the deal. Stock, Shrivastava, and McConkey voted against, arguing that North Saanich should just take the data and let others make drafts.
But who? Only MODUS is qualified to complete drafts in a timely and economical manner. Since the mayor and council were elected, three district planners with OCP expertise and knowledge have resigned. There are no specialists left. Mr. Tanton suggested hiring a consultant; however, when he said he knew the new OCP committee was going to draft it, the mayor responded in a rather strong way that it would never do that.
Thus, it appears that someone with no previous background in OCP processes would attempt to sort through large amounts of data for reporting purposes. This can take months and cost taxpayers a lot of money. This is not true. Even members of the Mayor’s new OCP committee want to see a draft.
Taxpayers are now at the extra cost, probably because some council members and a small group of their supporters have denigrated MODUS, district planners and the last OCP process from the start. We just lost the opportunity to advance our OCP for no reason.
Paula Young
north saanich