Editor:
For the first time in quite a while, I drove east along 24 Avenue and was astonished by the housing developments on both sides of the road.
I recall that in the past, new subdivisions set aside land for schools, churches and community facilities, all of which – as well as meeting the needs of the residents – contributed to a sense of community.
The new developments don’t appear to have these facilities.
What’s more, they put added strain on our facilities in White Rock. Peace Arch Hospital, I’m told, is at full capacity and is under-staffed. It is the only hospital south of Highway 10, and yet it will somehow have to meet the needs of a greatly expanding population.
All our infrastructure is coming under increasing strain. Roads are overcrowded – 16 Avenue has become a truck route – and every month, more families move here, putting demands on already-crowded schools. Earl Marriott Secondary already operates on two shifts. Will they be adding a night shift?
I’d like to hear from our provincial candidates on this issue.
Annabelle MacDonald, White Rock
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I am confused.
The value of my property keeps going up and up. In fact, lots of my neighbours have houses that have quadrupled or more in value. We’re rich! Well, at least we’re rich on paper.
In real life, I’m struggling to pay increases in property taxes, MSP payments and prescription, dental and eyeglass costs. Oh yes, then there’s my mortgage. Who really owns “my” home?
I’m told by the federal and provincial Liberals that I’m middle-class and they are going to do nice things for me and all middle-class families. Meanwhile, our children who are now young adults want/need to move back home. They are middle-class, too, but can’t find affordable housing.
My question is, how can I become upper-class, so that I can pay my bills?
Stephen Crozier, White Rock
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Having had 16 years of BC Liberal government, it seems to me it would be worthwhile, just for the health of our democratic institutions, to have a change of government.
One-party rule, regardless of political stripe, encourages a sense of entitlement. Occasionally, it is good for us all to have the pendulum swing the other way and have another, somewhat different set of values to be expressed.
Kathy Thornton, White Rock
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Last week, NDP Leader John Horgan said, “The NDP, on day one, will get big money out of politics.”
Wait a minute! Haven’t the NDP and the BC Liberals been getting big money from politics for decades?
I guess we can take John Horgan at his word – literally.
Jerry Steinberg, Surrey
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Re: ‘Hulk Horgan’ hides NDP health hole, April 26 column.
Is there any reader of the Peace Arch News that does not know the political bias of BC Views columnist Tom Fletcher?
PAN’s editorial in last Wednesday’s paper was considerate and balanced (Don’t just parrot the party line, April 26). Then I turned to BC Views.
Fletcher has been spouting his one-sided views for years. Please either find someone to write that column that at least makes you guess where they stand politically, or start a new column with a writer with another perspective. He is so biased that I cannot understand how he has had this platform for so long. Does he own the paper?
Judy Peterson, White Rock
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Must be election time! BC Liberal propagandist – sorry, make that Black Press columnist Tom Fletcher – is at it again.
He apparently lost track of the number of interruptions and shout-downs during the first debate. No wait, just on one side.
He missed the number of times Christy Clark spoke over her fellow debaters or continued on beyond her allotted time.
Balance, Mr. Fletcher, is needed in debates, politics and with political commentary. On this column, there is no balance.
If, as you say, this is the third of a series of articles looking at platforms, where are the different platforms? To be able to compare, we need all three positions. I don’t see them.
To support your position, you use two individuals who are hardly coming from a balanced perspective. Former BC Liberal minister Andrew Wilkerson and Canadian Taxpayers Federation spokesperson Jordan Bateman are not likely to see both sides.
Balanced? Not really. Surely PAN can do better.
Fletcher supports a party that espouses old and tired ideas. A smile and hard hat no longer cut it. What is required is an article that has a different take on the debate. You know, balance.
Darryl Walker, White Rock