Dear editor:

After reading the article, “NOTL not in state of emergency after floods: CAO,” I went to the Town’s website to read the full statement from our chief administrative officer.

The resumé he summarizes makes clear that we have a highly experienced CAO, which is a significant asset in a small community. It is also evident from published reports and social media that town staff have been working extremely hard throughout the current flooding crisis, and they deserve our thanks.

The CAO’s statement appropriately emphasizes that declaring a state of emergency does not automatically provide access to provincial or federal funding, and that some public statements have contained inaccuracies. Fair enough.

However, I was disappointed that the statement did not address the central question underlying this debate:

What are the advantages and disadvantages of declaring a state of emergency in NOTL under the current circumstances?

Clearly, some neighbouring municipalities considered this question and concluded that the advantages outweighed the disadvantages. Presumably, our town’s leadership conducted a similar assessment and reached the opposite conclusion. That decision may well have been the right one for NOTL.

That said, shouldn’t residents, particularly those who have suffered flood damage, be told what those disadvantages are, and why they led to the NOTL official position on the subject?

Robin Cardozo
NOTL