I saw in the Tuesday December 26th News that Mr. Raymond Szabada wants to attract high-tech to the Fraser Valley and possibly Abbotsford. Which I think is an excellent idea for Abbotsford and that Abbotsford has several large advantages to offer. A growing international airport, a few minutes travel time from a US border crossing, straddles the Trans-Canada Highway, available industrial land and Greater Vancouver just down the road.

Unfortunately for the citizens of Abbotsford, their tax bills and the City’s future the City lacks a major requirement – city staff and council to work with who are innovative, flexible, future oriented and willing to put in the hard work necessary to attract highly desirable industries with high-paying employment. This is why we currently suffer the phenomena of businesses bypassing Abbotsford on down the highway or across the Fraser River. Fortunately for Mr. Szabada he also plans to work with Chilliwack and Mission, two cities who have benefited from Abbotsford’s anti-business behaviour while demonstrating their ability and desire to attract good industries and their well paying jobs.

Despite Moe Gill’s enthusiastic support Mr. Szabada stands an excellent chance of running into the same situation I have when enquiring about why the City is not working to attract certain businesses with their well paying jobs and excellent tax base potential: a long, long, long list of why nots, can’t dos and an attitude of discouragement.

I do wish Mr. Szabada the best of luck. After all when the City could not seem to get their act together enough to put in place a life saving extreme weather strategy a group of citizens got together and had one in place in time for our November deep-freeze. For the citizens of Abbotsford one can only hope that Mr. Szabada and his group are hugely successful – notwithstanding city staff and council behaviour and attitudes.

Of course the need for Mr. Szabada and his group does cause me to wonder why and for what we pay Mr. Teiehroeb and his entire heavily staffed development department. But then in light of their ill-considered plans to rashly rush to overpay $60,000,000.00 for arena and recreation center I suppose that a few hundred thousand (millions?) of dollars is a petty waste and should be of no concern to taxpayers.