Re: “Former coun. expresses concerns with decision,” letter, Feb. 19. Dear Editor, I nearly spit out my coffee when I read last week’s Letter to the Editor from former Rocky View County (RVC) coun. Kim Magnusson. It would seem Magnusson had a tough time coming to grips with the fact council had permitted a job-creating, community-enhancing development project to move forward. Her reaction is not what surprises me – that’s entirely predictable, given her track record. What’s odd is while she’s well known for holding back the potential in her own community, she somehow feels bestowed to offer the same advice to Bearspaw residents. You don’t have to get up very early in the morning in RVC to know this former councillor is a key lieutenant of the “anti-everything” crusaders of the region. She and her colleagues would rather see RVC annexed by Calgary than build amenities to existing recreational facilities or, heaven forbid, a new acreage community where other people might live in the same type of community she does. The week prior, it was Pierre Trudeau’s former candidate and another former RVC coun. Jerry Arshinoff crying foul. Arshinoff continually tells us our taxes are too high and our debt is unmanageable. Well, it’ll take you all of 15 minutes on “Google” to look at the mill rates from the other municipalities in the region and you’ll quickly realize that claim is debunked. RVC’s residential tax rates are among the lowest in the province, and far and away the lowest in the region. Residential tax rates are more than 10 per cent higher in Calgary, Airdrie and Cochrane when compared to ours in RVC. So, thanks Arshinoff, but we're not buying what you’re selling. The fact of the matter is, RVC council seems to be doing a fine job of balancing residential and non-residential growth, and recent talk about reviewing our County Plan makes complete sense. NIMBY-ism does not build community – just look around. Calgary recently approved 14 new communities and Chestermere is moving so much dirt, the end result will see its population double, not to mention how quickly Airdrie and Cochrane are stacking and packing. You would think it would be prudent for RVC to have a good, solid look at which corridors make sense for its long-term growth. Isn’t it better for RVC to plan its future than have the high-density inflicted on us by Calgary planners? That seems to be exactly the path the majority of our current council is going down. Thank goodness we're not being steered by those disgruntled former councillors who would much prefer we do nothing in terms of preparing for our future. Good grief, I need another cup of coffee. Ken MacAulay Elbow Valley West
