Editor, The News:
A new ghetto is being created at the corner of Brown Avenue and 222 Street.
It is not only being created, but fostered by the B.C. government and Maple Ridge mayor and council.
Amazing how we as a province and a town have money for a state-of-the-art, environmentally green building (I believe the cost is $7.2 million or more) to house and support 42 homeless people for one-year interims who do not and have not contributed to society in a very long time, if ever.
We will be feeding them, cleaning their building, building a park across the street for them, finding them jobs and introducing them back into society (hopefully, after a year of nursing them?).
Meanwhile, we as a province and a town cannot support those who contribute to our town – like those who work at the recycling depot. No one is housing them for free, making their meals, doing their laundry (except maybe family), finding them better paying jobs. They arrive every day with pride and a whole sense of contributing to a job well done, and responsibility to their jobs.
Those select 42 get to arrive to a beautiful new building with a new park.
With that, the advocates for these select 42 will instill in them a sense of entitlement without having contributed to anyone or anything. That old saying “build it and they will come” came true for the Salvation Army Caring Place.
That area and neighbourhood changed into a den of thieves and druggies in 10 days after that place opened. Our town core suffers for it daily.
The Homeless Initiative Program house seems to be just another Caring Place with a park for their friends being built across the street. The name Pigeon Park has already been taken.
So what will these select 42 do for our community? Will they even have to contribute to any care of their new home?
Will they be grateful enough to give back for this opportunity?
Will they be held accountable for their behaviours?
Will our town hold the do-gooders accountable for their wards? On and off their little corner of property?
I will be walking by there everyday to go to work. People will be driving by there to take their kids to Maple Ridge high school everyday. There will be many people watching.
M. Smythe
Maple Ridge