Your article “Welcome to Tisdale” dated Thursday, October 18, 2007 was referred to my office.

Your article gives the impression that our community is inundated with water breaks. The dig that you were referring to was not a water break but the replacement of a curb stop valve that was not functioning properly. The water to the tourist booth had to be shut off so the lines could be blown out prior to winter.

We have had only four actual water breaks to date this year, in the past three years for example there were nine in 2006 , ten in 2005 and seven in 2004.

Also, with regard to your comment on pavement, the town cannot afford to finance a pavement programme every year so we work with our consultants to schedule a program every two years or so, eg. 2004 and the last one in 2006 and projecting another in 2008.

In 1979 we hit a high of 81 water breaks that year, in the 1980’s we averaged about 30 water breaks a year and since the 1990’s we are down to about 10 – 12 water breaks a year. There are exceptions as in 2003, when it was extremely cold and the frost was driven deeper than normal caused a larger number of breaks. Through a major replacement program in the 80’s, cathodic protection and continuing a smaller scale replacement programme we have been able to bring these numbers down to a more manageable level.

Hopefully, this will clear up any misconception.