Internal Controls in my community, Delta BC

I'm writing my script for a series of four hours for bookkeepers, topic, Internal Control. Yesterday, I spent the day looking through my textbook for management audit at the definitions of what is internal control, who it applies to, why it's necessary and how it's implemented. it's about doing the right thing in order to succeed at whatever your endeavour. It's about protection, it's about ethics.

Then, because my husband said "you need to go say something about the Southlands development, particularly about the process of why we have to keep on saying no, over and over", so off I went to sign up to speak. I'm # 331 so maybe I'll get to speak on Friday night. There have been 209 speakers over 3 meetings this week and the hearing has been extended to Friday evening.

I listened to speakers for the YES camp, intent on flattering the developer with how much they 'trust' him and the process and how they are the silent majority. I wondered how many would feel the same way if they knew about the potential for tax credit claims that will result in significant tax savings the developer can obtain if he qualifies for the Eco Sensitive Land donation tax credit.

I don't know if the developer qualifies, but when I Tweeted about it last night, the PR person was quick to respond that this wasn't their motivation, but it was what he didn't do that was interesting. He didn't deny there was a potential benefit. I think that the Southlands has become like an albatross, and for the developer, the donation tax credit is perfect. Me, I'd like that 80% donation to be 100%, and for the developer to move on to other projects, like renovation of the town centre and creation of enough housing, services and facilities for the plethora of seniors or about to be seniors in town. The Southlands development may be beautiful, but it's not in the right place. Move it to the town centre. Get it off the floodplain. That's my opinion too.

Now, remember, that plebiscite run by the people for the people back in the 80's where people stayed home from their holidays to vote because their kids insisted they vote against the development? I was reminded of why it was so successful by one speaker last night.

I was so impressed by a young man, maybe 10 or 12 year old, who reminded us of the disruption to habitat that will result, as the Southlands is home to prey and predator. He asked us to remember that we need to save this land for him and those who are yet to be born. I wonder, this time around, how many kids in Delta will hear his speech and pressure their pro-development parents to change their minds? Last time, one of my clients told me his children had totally refused to have anything to do with him unless he voted against the development. He was a developer. Those kids are now adults. I'm sure they all remember Friends of Boundary Bay, Martin Keeley and his Wetlands Road Show it travelled province wide for many years. Remember those lessons in the trailer and the parks and schools? If anyone (especially teachers) wants a copy of those publications, ask me, I have them and can distribute them to you. eileen@taxdetective.ca.

I listened to the NO camp expound on their reasons for not proceeding. All great reasons, especially the one about how this is a great plan, it's just in the wrong place, so put it in the town centre and lose the mall.

One speaker echoed my husband's reason eloquently, about how it's time to put this to a vote. The public hearing process really isn't democracy in action.

But my reasons for saying NO weren't being expressed. I've been pondering what are they?

1) Fear its going to cost me. I know this sounds stupid, but it's about the hole in my driveway. This is the same fear as last time, in the 80's. Except, now that hole, it's bigger. The hole fills up with sea water when the water table rises with every high tide, especially storm surges. Sometimes, it overflows and creates a puddle in my driveway.

Several years ago it cost us about $1,500 to create a new and better sand pit beneath the driveway, and an enhanced hole cover. When we purchased this property 28 years ago, we didn't know that there was not a drainage system in most of Beach Grove. It was only when I volunteered to serve on a Beach Grove/Boundary Bay committee where I learned about the bylaws and the infrastructure restrictions in these two communities.

That's also where I learned that only several of the many streets in our community have any sort of drainage built in. That's likely why Delta steps up so readily to deal with storm surges every winter. They probably worry about the lawsuits should this become a bigger problem. At some point I suspect we're going to have to pay to have our streets ripped up to deal with this lack of infrastructure.

I would like to know why Delta isn't likely to enforce their % of pavement on road allowances by-law. Not only does pavement impact greenhouse gases, but it makes drainage difficult. At some point this has the potential to become a special project for Delta and it's going to cost us to have the roadways ripped up again.

2) Fear of flooding. Why is that? The pavement of local road allowances has proliferated recently, in spite of bylaws that limit pavement on road allowances and property.  Puddle jumping is often required, for example, this morning, the corner of Enderby and 16th, there's water on the roadway. So much so that I bought red rubber boots so I could stomp in the puddles. It's therapy. You may have seen me, I walk my dog two or three times and day, 20-30 minutes each time, various routes through the Grove.  I can tell you, there are lots of  puddles and the pavement probably isn't legal. Is there a puddle in your driveway that never goes away?

I'm sure that Delta is reticent to enforce their bylaws especially along Beach Grove Road where the taxpayers pay 3-5 times the property taxes I pay back a few blocks. Must be difficult to say to someone who has paid you $15,000 or $20,000 in property taxes, no you can't pave your driveway.

But it's my observations over 28 years of living here, and walking my dog, the houses whose driveways aren't paved, the people across the street aren't getting flooded during storm surges to the extent that those with paved properties across from them are. If you live across from someone whose entire road allowance is paved, why aren't you calling to complain? Why doesn't by-laws consider this important? I'm amazed at why this is allowed to continue and propagates itself by the Corporation re-paving when it's necessary to dig it up. Why don't they have a standard that they replace pavement with gravel and start to reverse this ridiculous trend?

3) Rising cost of insurance. My insurance agent's assurances that our house insurance, which is already very expensive at almost $1700/yr because of living on a flood plain will likely increase yet again. I wonder will the strata council for the Southlands struggle to obtain insurance, or how much will the strata fees be because of insurance? Will buyers have difficulty obtaining mortgages if they can't obtain reasonable insurance coverage?

Or is that why the berms are being substantially increased in the developers' planning process? What will that do to insurance premiums for those of us on the other side of the berm?

Back to my driveway hole, will it be seen to be more risky to live outside the Southlands because of the shift in the water table that may happen because of the weight of the development? Water displacement - has anyone examined the possibility that the development of the Southlands will impact the water table in the surrounding communities? I read about that happening by the Queensborough Bridge some years ago. Developer loaded the site, and the neighbour's property flooded because the water table accommodated by shifting. Huge lawsuit.

4) Pedestrian safety. We have narrow lane ways here, two cars can squeeze past each other, but they need to slow down to do that. There are no sidewalks in most of the Grove, road allowances, gravel, sometimes with large boulders or large rocks that are impossible to walk on without twisting an ankle, or potentially breaking a dog's leg.

Some landowners are aggressively discouraging use of their road allowance by pedestrians. The speed limit is 30 km. On several of the thru-fares, there are speed bumps, and in the past several years, the speed on 16th Avenue was reduced from 50 km to 30 km.

5) My sense of safety feels like it is in jeopardy. These days some drivers speed, in excess of 30 km on thru-fares like Duncan and Farrell, and Beach Grove Road, even with it's bumps. They blast through intersections doing at least 60 km without even glancing to see whether or not there is someone approaching. Those drivers on the roads that cross these thru-fares, Kirkwood being one, aren't always stopping at the stop sign. In the last two weeks, I've witnessed three incidents where they didn't stop at all.

I've learned it's best to avoid the sleep deprived parents booting it through the Grove to get their kids to Beach Grove School. And to avoid the drive home crowd, frustrated at truckers who have hit overpasses and caused them long delays. I've experienced road rage several times in the past few weeks here in the Grove. Signage has appeared recently with serious messages like "45 children live and play on this block...slow down", so it's not just me that feels this way.

6) What's the impact on me when the 1,900 new families drop their children in Beach Grove every morning, and pick them up after school.

We have a no left turn off Boundary Road into Beach Grove Road for the morning school rush, which gets ignored, as there are no consequences. Will Delta be working to obtain adequate school busing from Boundary Bay and Southlands, with this proliferation of young families? Didn't the school bus just get cancelled? Will Delta Police find the will to enforce the no left turn and the speed limit?

7) We have by-laws designed to protect us from harm. I don't believe they are being enforced adequately. I started out talking about internal controls? If we're going to add 1,900 people to Tsawwassen, the Corporation of Delta must examine and raise it's standards, and provide enforcement of  by-laws. By-laws like no left turn, speeding, pavement allowances, impedance's to walking on road allowances. Delta should be planning drainage upgrades and dyke reinforcement, and fixing problem puddles on roadways.

In summary, you asked me how this development is likely to affect me? I live and work, and walk in Beach Grove. That's right next door. For me, it's about the cost of drainage improvements, the cost of insurance increases, the risk of water table displacement affecting my property, pavement allowances, road allowance safety, and safety concerns for pedestrians, especially all the dog walkers, and the families who walk here, given the likelihood of a significant increase in local traffic.

I shop at the mall. I'd love to see that mall ripped out and replaced with something creative, including a farmer's market. Why can't Southlands be a donation to the Municipality in it's entirety instead of only 80%? Give the developer of a new improved mall incentives to move the development to the town centre, up off the flood plain.

Mayor and Council for Delta if 1,900 new neighbours plan to use my local streets, it's going to be necessary to invest in drainage, road improvements, and enforce road allowances or design safe routes for walkers.

A public hearing may be one way to gauge what's going on, but is it democratic? Public speaking is a huge fear for most people, you've heard from several hundred people brave enough to overcome that fear. There are how many residents in Tsawwassen? Is this process fair? It's certainly entertaining, But is that a reason to continue these hearings? Put it to a vote, and please consider very seriously accepting a 100% donation of the land, and taking the advice of those who advocate moving the development to the town centre.

Now, back to internal controls for bookkeepers...it's all about ethics. Ethics is really about protection. Protection that starts with me and my safety and sense of well-being, and it ripples out, like tossing a rock into a pond. If I protect me, then I can extend my protection to my neighbour, and to my community.