I am a resident of Area E in Cherryville. I am deeply troubled with the Lumby prison proposal by Lumby council.
The very notion that a prison in the centre of their town being the answer to all their economic and infrastructure problems tells me much. I couldn’t think of a bleaker vision for my town.
My No. 1 objection is the disregard for the true jewel in Lumby’s crown, the salmon creeks that flow through their village.
Already you have to turn a blind eye to the industry that surrounds them. Walking the salmon trail is somewhat revealing as to the real priorities in Lumby.
I believe the village has an obligation to clean up the environmental issues that already exist in their industrial area before adding this new giant to their problems.
Even the most state-of-the art sewage treatment facilities are a flawed system at best.
The better the system, the more toxic and pollution-producing they are. Furthermore, they are in constant need of upgrading and repair which adds up to millions and millions of future dollars needing to be spent.
The dangling carrot of the prison fixing your infrastructure woes is just that, a dangling carrot. It will be your community’s responsibility once the prison is in place, and the added burden of an industrial facility of that size on your water usage and the increased amount of sewage effluent being discharged into your local creeks is not of any benefit to your community or anyone downstream.
None of it sounds green, sustainable and least of all, visionary.
I am a firm believer in supporting local businesses, eating locally grown food and consider the impact of everything I do on the environment and the people around me.
I do my banking in Lumby, go to the doctor there, my son went to school there and my grandchildren are slated to go there in the future. I use the local building supplier, go to the vet there, restaurants, bakery, get my car fixed whatever, you get the idea.
It is said we in Area E have no say in this matter, it is not our town.
I believe community goes beyond the imaginary lines that separate us from Area D and Lumby. What we do to our water here in Cherryville certainly affects the people downstream from us. The same applies to Lumby.
I applaud the Concerned Citizens of Lumby for their hard work. Their commitment and vision to a greener and brighter future for all of the people of Lumby and surrounding areas is commendable.
It occurred to me at the information session at the community centre it would be great to see the panel on stage sitting around the table in council chambers. I know I would feel better represented.
We all make choices and our choices now are what steers our future.
If you can’t vote in the referendum, exercise your right to vote on who sits on council next.
Carla Vierke
Cherryville
