I find all opinions very interesting, putting myself in an investor’s place i would be bitter at the climate right now in Fernie regarding new development, but the obvious lack of progress in this department isn’t the fault of the city. A few years ago when the world economy was high, properties in this community went up so dramatically that they became unreachable to ordinary workers, even for those making top wages as employees of the mines.
Properties were being purchased by out of country residents and Albertans, so when the economy plummeted these purchasers also dried out.
What would have happened to Fernie if all of the proposed developments had been finished just before the world economy downturn?
Would Fernie now be a town of empty subdivisions, new homes sitting empty gathering dust and falling apart? How would this situation have helped developers?
I also feel a loss at seeing young families moving away to look for employment elsewhere, as a long time resident I also feel the loss of seeing Fernie’s population decrease instead of increase. But how do you force people to move here or remain here?
During the height of high prices, longtime Fernie born and raised residents sold their houses and ran with profits they could hardly believe they had made. Should we blame those people for doing so and reducing the permanent population?
Should we blame realtors who set the prices high by bringing buyers from out of country with readily available money that could pay those prices?
Should we blame city councillors who have a vision of keeping Fernie small and quaint and available only to those lucky few who have jobs?
Should we blame businesses that have pulled out because of no support?
What the heck, why dont we just blame everyone for everything that isnt perfect in Fernie? For sure someone is at fault for something, realistically, no one person or entity is holding Fernie back. Fernie is open for business but that doesnt mean business doesn’t have to adhere to the rights of the citizens who live here. Rules and regulations need to be looked at how they affect all parties. Changes need to consider everyone, sometimes council decisions have hurt individuals but are good for the community as a whole, sometimes council decisions help the individual but arent appreciated by neighbours. There is never a perfect solution to everything.
Worldwide, skiing has taken a downward turn, so if less skiers come here does that mean FAR is to blame? Will adding new development to the hill entice more people to come here to ski? I have heard many times from Albertans that they came to the ski hill much more often when it wasn’t as well known, locals liked it better then too because years ago it was more affordable for their families.
I don’t like to place blame on any one thing, the world is changing on a daily basis, those changes affect Fernie just like it affects other places. It wouldn’t serve our community or make it any better if we had a city council or a staff that allowed everything to happen without studying all angles of issues or without giving all residents opportunity to voice objections or agreement with the direction Fernie is going, and the best way to do this is to attend city council meetings and truly find out what is going on.
