The Editor,
Re."Look at the big picture on Colony Farm plan" (Letters, The Tri-City News, Sept. 23).
I did look at the big picture for the plans at Colony Farm. On the surface, I can understand the appeal of helping farmers grow their own local food but dig a little deeper - $30 million deeper - and the number of flaws in this plan is alarming. If this plan were about expanding the community gardens, I would show support, but it is absolutely not about that.
It is not solely the plan's negative impacts to wildlife but the $30-million tab, with no plan as to who is going to pay for it, which means the taxpayer will. I don't want to pay for a plan that is going to benefit corporations but limit public access to the park, push out native song birds and contribute to more human-bear conflicts.
For land that is deemed so valuable agriculturally, the plan does not hold back on protecting a good chunk of it from being paved over to accommodate parking for hundreds more cars.
Parks should have room for people and wildlife but the type of farming referred to in this plan does not accommodate wildlife whatsoever nor does it even consider human and wildlife co-existence. Planting several hectares of berries will attract European starlings and push out native songbirds, which just recently lost seven hectares of their home to the so-called environmental compensation project. The berries will also attract more bears to the area, which will increase human-bear conflicts and the number of bears being shot.
The big picture I see is that Metro Vancouver is looking to profit off of the regional park, satisfy corporations, take away from the public and contribute to the already declining songbird population.
Jane Paddon, Coquitlam
