The Editor,
Walk through the Riverview Lands and you will experience a visual masterpiece, an instant realization of the brilliance achieved by visionaries of a time past motivated by empathy to alleviate suffering of fellow human beings - tormented souls placed in a garden sanctuary designed to nurture them back to a place of inner peace.
Today, we are left with a living testament of the legacy they have left behind for us to experience, to cherish, to be nurtured by the dedication of masters of their craft, be they designers of gardens and buildings or designers of patient care. Together, for 100 years, they have built a foundation of caring that has evolved into a priceless masterpiece of our history. A foundation of caring that our present provincial government is allowing to disintegrate to epidemic proportion.
Premier Christy Clark's BC Liberal government maintains that to reopen Riverview would be too costly but, in reality, the cost that continues to snowball due to the impulsive closure of this facility is having a devastating effect on families across our province. The cost is immeasurable in human suffering. The cost is out of control for our police force now distracted from crime fighting.
When will Premier Clark wake up to the reality of this problem and start dealing with it in a responsible manner? As the population increases, so does this problem.
Riverview was built for the care and compassion in dealing with mental illness. It evolved through love and compassion of our visionary forefathers; they were able to see the problem and had the courage to deal with it.
The costly effect in dollars and essential services to the public that the closure of Riverview continues to cause has been ignored by our provincial government for much too long.
Reopening riverview for mental health to get back on track is the only viable hope for those lost souls now forced to fight for survival in the weather and cruelty of our city streets.
Kenneth Baker, Surrey
