Who should pay for repairs of damaged residential canals?

This letter was published in the Sunshine Coast Daily of Wednesday 7 May 08.

Canals should be fixed by owners

There's a new council in town and promises made by Maroochy to its millionaire landowners need not necessarily apply now.

These people along the canals bought land that had been cleared from an old swamp. Their land and the mosquito pond in front of them is the lowest point on the landscape.

It was designed by nature to capture the silt and run-off from higher up the river system so that the offshore marine habitats are protected. It's still working fine, even after all of the alterations.

The land and its mosquito ponds have appreciated in value remarkably.

Anyone living on those canals can be rightly be called millionaires. Why should the rest of the Coast have to dip into their pockets to help them out?

The canals aren't public property and until the millionaires open up access through their land, similar to the British rambling laws, then they should be responsible for the upkeep.

If they think the developer of the projects on the Esplanade is to blame, sue, and if they win, use the money to fix the problem.

No one forced you to buy on a cleared swamp. Take responsibility for your own actions. Don't expect the rest of us to bail you out.

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