To the Editor,
With great interest I have followed Rainbow Gardens’ wishes to expand, to fulfill a need for taking care of our elderly. Their wish to acquire parkland has met with protest. While this option is not deemed viable, we all need to look at a much bigger picture.
As a community, it is becoming more and more inherent upon us to provide for those that have come before us. Parents/ grandparents that built this community. Those that have paid the taxes and provided the wealth that so may of us have enjoyed.
There are options for us out there to provide a future for them.
What we need now is a consolidated effort on the part of local and provincial governments to secure a game plan for the development of an all-encompassing facility that will help alleviate our current crisis. It may be a number of years (hopefully less), but that facility needs to be built.
Our job at the moment is to secure at the cheapest possible cost the land on which it can and will be built.
I’m talking about the Island Health (VIHA)-owned property between Eighth and Ninth avenues on Morton Street.
This strategic, central, valuable land needs to be secured as the future home to the above-mentioned facility.
It is the absolute best location available in our city. Any other use of this elderly-friendly property would be a travesty.
I implore our council, regional district and health services to petition to have this property set aside for our elders.
Vince Lauzon,
Port Alberni