There is a new playbook for opposing progress and development in our communities. In the past you could rely on car traffic to be the go-to: how many traffic studies does it take to build affordable housing in Whistler?
But it’s 2024, and there are new boogeymen in town:
1—Infrastructure: “We cannot build affordable housing, because we are concerned about our infrastructure capacity.”
What makes “infrastructure” such a great boogeyman is its opacity—the quality of being difficult to understand or know about, especially because things have been intentionally kept secret or made complicated—and it can pony on the back of climate change, too, for virtue-signalling bonus points. i.e.: “We are building more infrastructure to accommodate larger climate events, are we sure it can accommodate this affordable housing?”
2—Accessibility: “We cannot toll our roads, because people with disabilities need to get to medical appointments.” Or, “there are too many staircases in this proposal, it would be ableist to proceed.”
3—Emergency Services: “We cannot build bike lanes, because it will slow down ambulances.”
These concerns barely existed in the NIMBY lexicon five years ago. If you want to oppose progress in our community, move past traffic and try out one of these new greatest hits. I guarantee you’ll be a big star at the next Public Hearing.
