Editor:
Quick! If you haven’t walked among the large trees in South Surrey lately, you better hurry up because they’re disappearing fast!
My father grew up playing amongst the massive trees in Ocean Park. His father and grandfather lived there too, which makes me a fourth-generation Ocean Parker. So I have a pretty good idea about how our oasis has changed over the past 50 years.
When I watch the changes happening here, I try to keep an open mind, and I chide myself for being too “nostalgic”– it’s progress, and there’s not much I can do to stop it.
But today was different. Today, I hit the end of my rope when I witnessed the raw, heartbreaking aftermath of the removal of most of the huge trees on a lot south of Ocean Park Community Hall.
This goes beyond progress. It goes against our very core beliefs and values. Trees are an integral part of who we are on the West Coast – the reason most people are drawn here in the first place. So why on earth are we letting people destroy them?
I totally understand that property owners have the right to build on their lots. I’m just saying that the City of Surrey needs to give its head a good shake. You cannot tell me every single tree on a lot will impede the construction of new homes.
And it isn’t good enough to tell me that new trees will be planted, because that’s just not going to fly.
Perhaps the people we elect need to take a stand to preserve as much of our beautiful environment as possible. It’s not too late!
Jennifer Findlay, Surrey
