Dear Editor: Re: Three more towers proposed for Metrotown, Burnaby NOW, April 11.
Development is inevitable, and I in no way oppose it. However, it is up to the City of Burnaby and its elected officials to ensure that when development occurs the interests of all citizens in Burnaby are protected. That is the missing piece in developments across Burnaby. Over 200 suites will be eliminated in this development. Many of those units are occupied by working-class people who undoubtedly will not be able to afford the new units replacing their present homes. Our city needs people of all income levels to provide us all with a sustainable and livable community. No thinking person would want to live where only those with extreme wealth can live and the people required to service even their needs must commute over long distances to get to local jobs.
Burnaby urgently needs to use some of the surplus funds it sits on to help to provide lower-cost accommodations for the average people who live here. Burnaby needs to establish zoning regulations and the legal framework necessary to promote the development of a wider range of living options. Serving only the top one per cent is no way to ensure Burnaby remains as a city open for all. Other communities have had to address these issues already, so the solutions are not new. They just require that elected officials have the courage to step up to their paymasters in the top one per cent and take action.
Carl Dillon, by email
