The recent idea by the George Derby Centre Care facility to provide housing on the land it owns is a wonderful idea, and something that should be considered right away.
The argument has been made that the housing facility would allow seniors in care to have a sense of community, that it's their place to live and it's adjacent to where they receive care.
It's a wonderful idea, but what concerns me about the project is that it's being billed as market housing, which may make it too expensive for seniors on fixed incomes to live in that complex and provide the community that George Derby is hoping to create.
I think the care centre is sincere in its desire to have a location for its care patients to live and create a community with one another, so I hope they'll give due consideration to the proposal put forward by Mayor Derek Corrigan and the Burnaby city council and opt instead to use the land for subsidized housing, so that cost and income are no barrier to residency for the patients.
Trevor Ritchie, Burnaby
