The Editor,
Re. "Plenty of consultation & study in PM OCP process" (Letters, The Tri-City News, April 23).
The Moody Centre Community Association (MCCA) was registered in 1979 as a non-profit organization. It has a limited amount of resources and relies on donations, membership dues and tireless volunteer work and input from local residents like Hazel Mason, its president.
While I can appreciate realtor John Grasty's opinion and fondness for Port Moody's official community plan, surely one can agree to disagree.
Mr. Grasty calling out the Moody Community Centre Association as an illegitimate, no-growth, special interest group crosses the line. Comments like these are counterproductive and completely unjustified.
I would argue it is community associations that help make a city a great place to live, promote democracy and change through public consultation. Port Moody has numerous community associations, all contributing to the democratic process.
Port Moody's small-town charm in the Old Town Centre is partially due to the MCCA's 35-year existence while other areas of Port Moody have experienced enormous population growth and major development.
One thing I'm certain of is that Port Moody residents are deeply divided on the official community plan. Council's decision to make the public input process the most exhaustive in the city's history is testimony to that.
Rick Evon, Port Moody
