Has Abbotsford become a community so lacking in character that we would choose to build a Coliseum were we will watch gladiators, or their modern equivalent, battle for our amusement while so many capital projects that would fill real, pressing and important community needs go unbuilt.

With all the desperate social needs, issues and problems facing Abbotsford; while so many in Abbotsford burn with poverty, hunger, homelessness, mental illness and hopelessness; why are council and senior city staff fiddling around with an extravagant, nonessential complex for entertainment. Lacking in leadership, ideas, principles and honesty they seem to have chosen to try to distract the citizens with entertainments as have self-serving tyrants from the Christians and lions of ancient Rome to our modern times.

Yes our City needs facilities, but we need a sense of priorities, we need to involve and engage the groups that will use the facilities, we need to listen to the ideas of the citizens – they are a pretty bright bunch with wide experience and then we need to tell and show people what will be built (NOT imaginary pictures and wish lists). We do not have to build in a mad rush or all at once. We should have a building program that is steady, consistent and well thought out. We do not need snake-oil sold to us as a plan, eh?

Soccer mom’s have spoken to me about an all weather soccer field and covered practice fields – take an idea from a farmer and just use some pole barns and voila a reasonably priced covered fields. We have a lot of young soccer players. We have many swim teams but no 50-meter competition pool, not to mention being able to attract events like the BC summer games in future. Do we need a better live theater/music venue? Encouraging local talent and participation seems far better for the community’s spirit. There are many such needs from small to large that would far better serve the community than Plan A.

I suggest we send the council and senior city staff a loud and blunt message of our displeasure with their performance on this matter via a resounding NO vote. And if, like spoiled children, they keep their petty threats to throw a tantrum and build nothing I suggest we come together as a community to set our priorities, decide what we need to build to meet those priorities and set out a consistent and long term building schedule to meet our current and future needs. Should egos and self-interest get in the way I am quite willing to bang heads together and hold feet to the fire to ensure we move forward, compromise and reach some form of consensus. Then we hand it to council and senior city staff and tell them ENOUGH – get your asses in gear or get out of the way.