“With every successful business on Bowen – the owner is there all the time. You see them, you know them, you trust them, they serve you.”
“I am there as often as possible, but I don’t live there because of personal realities/constraints. But I am certainly here to serve the community.” (Candy Ho, COB)
[The proponents] “need to be here. They have to have a presence.”
“I have been here, but in a low key, discrete way. Not walking in to a room and waving to everyone to say, ‘Hey I’m Candy, come talk!’ so some people don’t know I’ve been there.” (Candy Ho, COB)
[You should] “do the same thing John Reid did. Public input, open to everybody, and you come back and say this is what we’ve learned from you.”
Yes, that’s what we have done: listen, then draft a plan, and come forward to comments for refinement. The draft plan intentionally does not have details of form and character such as streetscape, architectural style etc. We leave that open to collaboration with the community. (Candy Ho, COB)
“If we can’t have healthy and constructive discourse with more then one narrative then that is a scary thought to me. I care deeply about these decisions because they will have an impact on future generations, and acting like they don’t is extremely short-sighted.”
Having small group meetings to discuss the Cape seems like a ‘divide and conquer’ strategy.
“Large meetings are platforms for expression but not interactive discussion. For us to have deep understanding of all the issues at hand, we need to have two-way conversation, rather than presentation, then reaction.” (Candy Ho, COB) [Note: we do plan on a public meeting in the spring of 2021 – in person if Covid protocols allow.]
“I’m not interested in engaging with the matter… I’m trying to steer clear of stressful political issues like this.”
“I am keen for the Conservancy to be involved in any discussion about the future of the Cape. From my perspective, I believe the broadest range of views of those of us involved in environmental issues on Bowen is probably best captured via the Conservancy.”
“They’re not collaborative. You don’t just go away and two years later come and say that’s what it is. No surprises.” “It’s impossible to have an opinion without knowing what’s on the table. How much density? What lands?” [The draft plan is intended to give people something specific to react to, so it can be improved. (COB)]
[Candy Ho] “is clearly trying to make the Cape something everyone will enjoy while protecting nature and keeping the investors’ interests… I don’t think anyone else would be better suited to developing the structure for the future community at the Cape.”
“I agree … that this has huge implications for all future generations, and no doubt I do sometimes feel that the whole world’s weight is on my shoulders. However … I see this as an opportunity to [change] a hurtful story and create a better outcome that has the potential to be a positive legacy if I can hold a trusting space with you, and lead a respectful process.” (Candy Ho, COB)
See collated results of our survey, plus additional comments: https://envisionthecape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Online-Land-Use-Survey-Results-Public.pdf
