News (Media Awareness Project) - CN BC: 'This Comes Down To Process' |
Title: | CN BC: 'This Comes Down To Process' |
Published On: | 2011-06-30 |
Source: | Outlook, The (CN BC) |
Fetched On: | 2011-07-01 06:02:14 |
'THIS COMES DOWN TO PROCESS'
It sparked an interest in District of North Vancouver municipal
politics unlike many other issues.
But the process by which the district handled the now forbidden
medicinal marijuana dispensary planned for Deep Cove was prejudiced
and didn't ensure a transparent discussion, concerned residents say.
"There was this presumption of just a negative feeling and I do not
believe that represents the district," said longtime resident Joyce
Gee.
"This isn't just about a council that decided to take a conservative
approach rather than a compassionate one, this comes down to process."
Gee's comments come in the wake of district's decision last week to
pass a quickly drawn bylaw prohibiting a marijuana dispensary from
opening on Mt. Seymour Parkway. Of particular interest to Gee,
however, is not just the bylaw but the way in which residents were
urged to attend a special council meeting on June 14.
Gee told The Outlook that while on holiday in May, she received an
email from another district resident titled "marijuana dispensary -
opposition voices needed." Gee said the resident who passed along the
email had received a call from Coun. Doug MacKay-Dunn, a vocal
opponent of the dispensary, urging her to tell others to write emails
voicing their opposition.
While agreeing with the need to get involved, Gee felt MacKay-Dunn
"stepped over the line" by using his stature in the community to
cultivate explicitly negative voices. Opinions, she said, are vital
but urging one side over another means any discussion about the issue
would be tainted. Couple that with a bylaw written by the time the
special council meeting was held and Gee said the discussion had a
very distinct direction to it.
"If the process was handled differently we may have gotten some of the
letters, but would we have gotten a different result?" she asked.
"And if the bylaw wasn't formulated, how would that have changed
things? We should have come out of that meeting with ideas, not just a
motion."
In an interview with The Outlook on Tuesday -- council was unable to
discuss the bylaw until final adoption on Monday -- MacKay-Dunn
confirmed he sent emails to residents about the issue but denied
urging only naysayers to share their feelings.
On July 11, three days before council met with the public to discuss
the dispensary, MacKay-Dunn said he told marijuana activist Dana
Larsen to ensure voices of support were present as well. MacKay-Dunn
made no secret he does not support dispensaries and does not believe
it is a municipality's job to approve them. The federal government, he
said, is the level of government that should dictate how medicinal
marijuana is administered. And that isn't a vote of confidence for
those in Ottawa and their medical marijuana program, he said. After
learning about the issues faced by those attempting to access their
medicine from the federal system, MacKay-Dunn said an overhaul is
clearly needed.
But for a distinctly residential neighbourhood to accept a dispensary,
residents and council need more time to evaluate the pros and cons of
such an establishment. Council, he said, learned of the dispensary
through the media and that didn't help the case for a dispensary.
"There are clear land use implications in this situation, and there
should have been more reaching out to the community done," he said.
"But that abuse of process got me started. And whenever the community
is disrespected they will have to deal with me and I will not mince
words."
It sparked an interest in District of North Vancouver municipal
politics unlike many other issues.
But the process by which the district handled the now forbidden
medicinal marijuana dispensary planned for Deep Cove was prejudiced
and didn't ensure a transparent discussion, concerned residents say.
"There was this presumption of just a negative feeling and I do not
believe that represents the district," said longtime resident Joyce
Gee.
"This isn't just about a council that decided to take a conservative
approach rather than a compassionate one, this comes down to process."
Gee's comments come in the wake of district's decision last week to
pass a quickly drawn bylaw prohibiting a marijuana dispensary from
opening on Mt. Seymour Parkway. Of particular interest to Gee,
however, is not just the bylaw but the way in which residents were
urged to attend a special council meeting on June 14.
Gee told The Outlook that while on holiday in May, she received an
email from another district resident titled "marijuana dispensary -
opposition voices needed." Gee said the resident who passed along the
email had received a call from Coun. Doug MacKay-Dunn, a vocal
opponent of the dispensary, urging her to tell others to write emails
voicing their opposition.
While agreeing with the need to get involved, Gee felt MacKay-Dunn
"stepped over the line" by using his stature in the community to
cultivate explicitly negative voices. Opinions, she said, are vital
but urging one side over another means any discussion about the issue
would be tainted. Couple that with a bylaw written by the time the
special council meeting was held and Gee said the discussion had a
very distinct direction to it.
"If the process was handled differently we may have gotten some of the
letters, but would we have gotten a different result?" she asked.
"And if the bylaw wasn't formulated, how would that have changed
things? We should have come out of that meeting with ideas, not just a
motion."
In an interview with The Outlook on Tuesday -- council was unable to
discuss the bylaw until final adoption on Monday -- MacKay-Dunn
confirmed he sent emails to residents about the issue but denied
urging only naysayers to share their feelings.
On July 11, three days before council met with the public to discuss
the dispensary, MacKay-Dunn said he told marijuana activist Dana
Larsen to ensure voices of support were present as well. MacKay-Dunn
made no secret he does not support dispensaries and does not believe
it is a municipality's job to approve them. The federal government, he
said, is the level of government that should dictate how medicinal
marijuana is administered. And that isn't a vote of confidence for
those in Ottawa and their medical marijuana program, he said. After
learning about the issues faced by those attempting to access their
medicine from the federal system, MacKay-Dunn said an overhaul is
clearly needed.
But for a distinctly residential neighbourhood to accept a dispensary,
residents and council need more time to evaluate the pros and cons of
such an establishment. Council, he said, learned of the dispensary
through the media and that didn't help the case for a dispensary.
"There are clear land use implications in this situation, and there
should have been more reaching out to the community done," he said.
"But that abuse of process got me started. And whenever the community
is disrespected they will have to deal with me and I will not mince
words."
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