I appreciate your asking QB residents if they were happy with the results of their municipal election.  Not only did QB have a relatively high turn-out; the response to your question affirmed the results. Thank-you.

As a long-time resident of QB with severely limited energy, I am grateful to the hard-working, dedicated volunteers of QB Residents Association and the Concerned Citizens of Qualicum Beach.  They invested much of themselves for the good of our community and the health of our democracy.  

These people understood a functioning democracy is about more than an occasional election.  

A functioning democracy is an on-going process requiring real transparency that enables citizens holding decision makers accountable.  This requires easy access to accurate information that can be critically assessed by all residents.  

To me, this is real honouring of those who suffer and die in the name of our freedoms and democracies.  While including all who have and are serving in our armed forces, it is not limited to them.  It also includes all the citizen groups such as the suffragettes and unions who advocated for inclusive and accountable governance in the public good.    

Such a democracy also includes on-going mutually respectful informed dialogue and debate so decisions impacting our community are consistent with the vision most residents want to achieve.  

We now have a council who say they understand this approach to democracy and community development.  To ensure this, residents need to stay alert and involved.

Hopefully the owners of “The Clarion” project will demonstrate their respect for our community and their good corporate citizenship by re-visiting their plans through broad-based community participation to ensure what is built conforms to the vision the majority of QB residents have for their community.

Yvonne Zarowny 

Last night, December 1, was the Inaugural Meeting of Town Council.  It was a glamorous affair with the councillors-elect wearing their best bib and tucker with a corsage pinned to each of them.  The new council was piped in and took their places.  The town crier announced the new council and Maureen O'Hearn led in "O Canada".  The Justice then swore in the new council and the meeting could begin.  The mayor gave his speech welcoming the new council and presenting gifts of paintings to Mary Brouillette and Dave Willie and sending the best wishes of the town to Scott Tanner as he continues to fight his cancer in Victoria.  The actual meeting received a report on the results of the election, appointed the Mayor as the town's representative to the RDN and appointed Councillor Avis as the representative to the Library board.  The meeting adjourned without public comments as the public would have time to comment to the councillors at the spread of apples brought out for the crowd.