Editor:
Kelly Gibson, the Town of Banff's Town Manager, has served our community for many years, and much of his letter in the Aug. 1 Outlook "Pedestrian zone wouldn’t affect emergency evacuation" was well-deserved cheerleading for our civil servants and their accomplishments. But he crossed the line of being an impartial, unbiased and neutral civil servant on several points.
The Banff Avenue pedestrian zone was politicized long before the catastrophic fire in Jasper, as were ongoing concerns about fire management and emergency planning. The upcoming referendum is proof that this is a legitimate political issue. Civic duty includes being informed by not just those with armchair opinions, but being informed by experts in their field.
By expressing disappointment in some people offering professional opinions, seems perilously close to wanting to shut down discussion of extremely serious issues when time is of the essence, our friends in Jasper are devastated, and citizens are rightfully concerned.
The defensive attitude toward criticism of the Town’s wildfire emergency plan is contrary to good civil discourse. Public input should be encouraged, not shamed. Communication and dialogue make for better plans. Claiming that two blocks of Banff Avenue could be completely – four lanes – open to traffic quickly and easily is not proven by clearing some flower pots from one lane in twenty minutes after weeks of preparation. This is misleading and disingenuous.
If the Town’s wildfire emergency plan is as advanced as claimed, why is it not available for the citizens to see and review, as is their right? Simply post the plan and its appendices to the Town’s website. Shouldn’t take more than 20 minutes.
As for confidence, the best definition I have seen is: “confidence is the feeling you have before you are fully aware of the situation”.
Gordon Irwin,
Retired Park Warden, Public Safety Manager and Director of Disaster Services,
Banff
