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McLean Lake residents ‘disappointed’ MUNICIPAL ELECTION

The McLean Lake Residents Association was well represented at Monday’s forum, tossing out a few questions about the proposed industrial…

The McLean Lake Residents Association was well represented at Monday’s forum, tossing out a few questions about the proposed industrial development on Sleeping Giant Hill.

And most of the candidates’ answers were “predictable,” said association member Bob Kuiper.

It was “disappointing” that only one council contender addressed the issue of location, he added.

“Jeanine Myhre, to her credit, did state that we need to locate industrial (zones) in the right places so that the heavy industrial is not placed beside residential areas,” said Kuiper.

As the forum wore on, it became clear that the association and some councillors were at odds about the development.

“I think that this particular development has been blown way out of proportion,” said councillor Doug Graham, who visited a concrete batch plant in Edmonton 100 times larger than the one proposed in Whitehorse that had condos nearby without problems.

As long as the environmental standards are followed, Graham would see the development go ahead.

A sentiment echoed by Myhre, Florence Roberts and Dave Stockdale.

The candidates also neglected issues of lowered property values from contaminated air flowing into subdivisions like Lobird, Copper Ridge and the area slated for development beyond Copper Ridge, said Kuiper.

(LC)

The case of the

disappearing response

Bev Buckway did respond to questions posed by the city of Whitehorse’s union this week.

But, somehow, her answers were lost and she wasn’t recognized in the two-page ad the union bought in Friday’s newspaper, said Darrell Blakney, speaking for the city’s union.

“She stuffed it under the door at the YEU building and it vapourized,” she added.

In her answers, Buckway said she “doesn’t favour service reductions, but would rather see a modest tax increase or increase of user fees” to offset the city’s operational costs.

And, that she’d be happy to leave her car at home and use city transit to get around for a week.

“We have the friendliest drivers in the country,” she added. (LC)