As a regular reader of this newspaper, I am dismayed and (as a senior) embarrassed by the content and tone of the July 27 letters to the editor, seemingly all by seniors. To those writers, I ask: “Is there anything that you are not automatically against?”
Recent census data confirms that Parksville Qualicum Beach has one of the highest average ages in the country, and it continues to increase. Some of that increase is attributable to the fact that we are gradually losing our young families (witness the four school closures in 2014), and with them, needed current and future business owners and workers.
There is a huge cost to this. Continued knee-jerk resistance to new economic development and much-needed additional affordable housing, can only lead to the ultimate demise of our community. Simply stated, three months of tourism each summer and seniors spending our pension income will not be enough to sustain us!
It is imperative that we allow our elected officials and citizens at large to properly assess the merits of all proposed new initiatives, and their impact on all residents. Only in this way can we strike an appropriate balance between maintaining the vibrancy of our community, and the lifestyles we have become accustomed to.
Bruce Healy
Parksville
