Letters to the Sun: Tuesday, April 23, 2024

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Re: Dan Fumano: Vancouver developers color outside the lines by advancing ‘non-conforming’ projects

Dan Fumano’s article doesn’t go far enough. The view corridor is only one aspect of the problematic aspect of the development depicted. It is lazy and socially irresponsible architecture. It is the beginning of a pattern that will destroy not only a heritage neighborhood that city council and planning have supported and nurtured through RT6 zoning for more than 40 years. The area is more than just housing, it is a garden and a park, where people walk with their dogs and children, with overhangs of trees that counteract the warming in our city and support birds and an urban landscape full of gardens.

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Walk the streets and watch what happens: your breathing slows, your pace slows, you can hear yourself thinking: it’s a mental health haven for everyone. As Broadway is built with hundreds of new residents, it will provide easy access to the amenities people need: trees and gardens. I am in favor of greater density: the “missing middle” and gradual density. This does not achieve that and, in fact, goes against every theory of good urban planning. How much is our heritage worth? When we lose our inheritance, we will never get it back.

Peter Silin, Vancouver

NDP cannot claim moral high ground on Bill 12

Re: Vaughn Palmer: Companies that toe the line have nothing to worry about

Decriminalization goes against Bill 12, which aims to protect the public from “products that cause or may contribute to illness, injury or disease.” Defines disease, injury or condition to include addiction and “problematic product use.” There is overwhelming evidence that the “safe supply” of highly addictive drugs has been diverted and circulated in communities, endangering all members of the public. Our healthcare workers have made it very clear that they and their patients need to be protected from harmful drug use in hospitals.

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If such conditions do not rise to the level of danger that requires protection under Bill 12, I don’t know what would. The NDP cannot claim mortal supremacy over this bill as long as decriminalization continues to put the public at risk.

Dr. Frederick Kwong, Vancouver

Coyotes franchise should move to Quebec City

Re: Bettman’s tenure has been disastrous for Canadian and NHL teams

Jack Todd’s article on Gary Bettman and the latest NHL fiasco reveals a situation that should outrage all Canadian hockey fans. Why are you moving the Coyotes franchise to Salt Lake City instead of Quebec City? Quebec already has a beautiful new stadium (Salt Lake will have to build a new one), a deep-pocketed owner, and a huge fan base. Salt Lake City doesn’t even support its ECHL team: Average attendance this year was just over 50 percent of capacity.

Bettman tried doggedly for decades to make hockey an opportunity in Phoenix, without success. It’s clear he doesn’t want another Canadian team in the NHL. I would prefer to experiment in another non-hockey market in the US. It is difficult to accept the business model for this: it proposes moving the team to another city with few hockey fans and a poor quality stadium, which will have to be replaced , instead of going to a city where hockey reigns. Additionally, an eighth Canadian team would increase the chances of a Canadian team lifting the Stanley Cup again, something that hasn’t happened in 31 years.

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Someone needs to start a campaign to rid the NHL of Bettman’s unfair regime and bring teams to cities where hockey is part of the culture, like hockey-crazy Canada, and not just a money-making venture.

Alan Cameron Abbotsford

Steveston: Densification challenges are already here

Issue: Douglas Todd: Will BC Upzoning ‘Destroy’ Metro’s ‘Best Neighborhood’ Steveston?

Richmond Mayor Malcolm Brodie’s concern over the NDP’s decision to approve four-plex complexes on single-family lots is not the main challenge facing Steveston. The Town of Steveston has been changing rapidly over the past 20 years with the construction of more than 20 multi-unit condominium and townhome complexes. This has resulted in a large increase in population, traffic problems, lack of parking, noise and ongoing construction. The challenges of densification are already here.

Michael McLenaghen, Richmond

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