Editor: Considering the current situation of the Routley school site in Langley, I am left wondering whether we live in a democratic country?
If the voice of the people is ignored and the government never listens to this voice, who can help people?
The government does not listen to the voice of people, if we look at the current issue of a school in Routley.
Why is the municipality and school district trying to make this deal to exchange the lands and to approve the rezoning for townhouses instead of a school, even if residents do not want this deal?
This country is obviously a democratic country and the government should listen to the voices of people. In the example of the HST, the government listened and is going to modify it.
But as far as this land swap is concerned, the school district initiated it with the wrong demographic calculation.
They said they secured the land for a school while expecting enough students in Routley. Right now, there are not enough students for a school and they do not think a school is necessary.
And they did not include this school project in their five-year plan.
But their demographic calculation is totally wrong. There are more than enough kids, as we found after checking door to door.
The school district must show how it surveyed and figured out there are not enough students.
The school district said that it consulted, but it consulted on the wrong people — the parents of R.C. Garnett, R.E. Mountain and Willoughby students.
The parents at those schools did not know about the Routley plan and they don’t care about this planned school, because their kids are already in school. The people in this area are concerned about this plan.
The government has a duty to let people know. This is a school, where our kids are educated for the future.
The municipality and the school district must listen to the voices of people. If they ignore these voices, it means this is not a democratic country.
The school district spokesman said that because the school district owns land, it does not mean that there will be a school.
Who wrote down “school” on the neighbourhood plan? The government did, and they had the people believe it.
The neighbourhood plan is obviously the government’s document, which we can rely on. Who is the responsible person or authority?
How can the government compensate people who believed there would be a school, and bought houses, if this plan is changed?
The municipality and school district is responsible for this misleading.
In the case of R.C. Garnett Demonstration Elementary School, the school demonstrates that the school district made the wrong calculation.
This school is just four years old, but how many portable classrooms are there? They were required a year after this school was opened. Nobody takes responsibility.
And now the school district is making another wrong decision. They need to listen.
When I collected names for a petition, I realized how nervous and disappointed people are at the wrong decision.
The school district must realize how many people send their kids to schools in Walnut Grove and Surrey from Routley. We’d be better off to pay our tax to City of Surrey, because their schools are closer to this area.
I realized why the Canadians have less interest in politics and they don’t care about the government, because people are ignored. As a new immigrant to this country, I still want to believe that this country is a democratic country and the government is providing quality living and quality education for our kids.
Politicians must be afraid of people.
Jinwan Kim,
Langley
