Editor, The Record:
Reading the local papers has brought out some serious concerns about issues from various levels of government who are not doing sufficient investigation on proposals.
Of vital concern is the suggestion that online voting would get out more voters, as would lowering the age. Voting is a democratic right for citizens. When we currently vote, no eyes but yours see your vote.
Contrast that with online voting. I fear there is no way the security of your vote can be maintained. Votes might be compromised, taken from the rightful owner under pressure, or openly examined by any number of persons in the home or elsewhere, and the voter may be forced to change their vote. Is this what some officials think would be a good way to change our present system, just because some people think it is too much trouble to go to a polling station every couple of years and spend a few minutes to cast a private vote?
Get real people, B.C. doesn’t need to study this suggestion.
Then in the same Aug. 16 paper, was an article about a development proposal which would prompt public input about a development which would not conform to the requirements of the official community plan (OCP). One wonders what some persons do not understand what those three words signify and why it exists, and it was good to see that some of the new Council members pointed this out.
Then we have the Gaudin trail network which is upsetting to many residents, near and far. Are we obsessed with making trails through environmentally sensitive lands, which will result in safety concerns for nearby residents, as well as the litter resulting from people going along these trails?
In addition to the expense of creating the trails, there is maintenance. A further problem is that wild animals will also use the trails for easy access to neighbourhoods. Perhaps the real problem today for kids getting outdoors in nature is the fact that there appears to be smaller neighbourhood parks. Decades ago, parents could walk with their kids to the nearby park, and they got lots of fresh air and exercise on swings, running about, etc. after school or on weekends. It was convenient for families on foot, with no need to drive longer distances.
All is not gloom, however. Noted on the City Page, Mission council’s request to the B.C. government — which holds title to the land adjoining Heritage Park — for a 138-acre grant “to expand the Fraser River Heritage Park to protect the area in its natural state in perpetuity.”
With enlarging populations, we need to be mindful of shrinking natural areas and take steps to not only keep them from disappearing, but to enlarge them.
Lila Rauh
Mission
