I received a notice from the New Westminster advisory planning commission to an undated meeting to respond to a proposed tower at 1000 Quayside Dr.
After verification of the date (which meant a costly second mailout by the city), I had three days to prepare a written response.
When I moved to Quayside Drive 10 years ago, I was immediately sold on the million-dollar view of Mount Baker and the subsidized transportation into the most beautiful city in the world. (I have since sold off all our vehicles.)
My real estate agent did not advise me of the risks posed by moving here. Have they ever considered this practice?
The federal government and the railways have not told us of any plan to deal with the noise pollution and a Lac-Mégantic-type disaster.
We are awaiting a plan by the city fire chief on the evacuation of the Quayside area in the event of a toxic derailment in the area.
How would more people living in the area impact this? Fraser Health and Port Metro Vancouver have not dealt with the issue of exporting cheap American coal to China from across the Fraser River (and a gain of 15 jobs for our residents).
This while Oregon and Washington have refused to support this effort. Environment Canada has not tackled the issue of the pollution that will drift back from China.
The mayors’ council, TransLink, department of transportation and the City of New Westminster have not solved the traffic congestion issues created here by the new tolled Port Mann Bridge. (Check out Facebook’s “Rattled About Traffic in New Westminster” group page.)
The B.C. auditor general has deemed that British Columbia does not have an adequate earthquake preparedness plan. (Check out the New Westminster’s public library’s newest historical fiction, The Next Tsunami – Living on a Restless Coast by Bonnie Henderson.)
I must assume some responsibility for moving here. In my own residence as Block Watch captain, I am hard pressed to keep owners abreast of car break-ins and thievery in the community.
I have a hard time answering when I get asked, “Mike, what are we going to do in the next natural disaster?” I would like to see the New Westminster emergency planning team take greater visibility in the community.
It’s time to stop building castles along the Fraser River for a while. We need to sort out what’s important. I don’t think bringing in another 1,000 people in these towers, or a couple of thousand more residents (and their cars and the appearance it creates along the Quay) with additional towers along the Quay will leave us better prepared for any natural or human disaster.
Cooler heads must prevail, and we need to take time with this decision. We can’t let it slip by when it’s such a beautiful summer and no one is paying attention. We all have God-given intellect and we must all take some responsibility in shaping a creation-stewardship model for British Columbia, which serves us all well but does not exhaust all that we have been given.
I say no, for now, to any future expansion along the Quay and the beautiful and pristine Fraser River. The salmon and sturgeon thank you too!
