The Editor,
Re. “Appalled at province’s plan for Riverview Hospital site” (Letters, The Tri-City News, Oct. 28).
I recently read the letter to the editor submitted by Helen MacIsaac, a registered psychologist who previously worked at Riverview Hospital. I was horrified to read that years after the closing of Riverview, she continues to recognize many of the haunted faces on the Downtown Eastside as those belonging to the vulnerable people who were cast out of Riverview. These residents were carelessly tossed aside where they have become trapped and further marginalized within the poorest neighbourhood in Canada.
How sad that we have allowed callous cost recovery to take precedence over our obligation as human beings to look after one another. Thanks to current policy, these people no longer have access to much needed mental health care, the security of a clean, safe haven during recovery or hope of regaining control over their future. They no longer meditate in the tranquility of Finnie’s Garden or wander amongst the powerful healing presence of one of the most spectacular open-grown arboretums in North America.
Indeed, Riverview has been forced to endure the same intentional neglect to which its former residents have been so cruelly subjected. The historical buildings and majestic grounds of Riverview have been left to crumble and rot as greedy minds conjure visions of clear-cuts, cold hard cash and concrete.
The Kwikwetlem First Nation has also laid claim to the Riverview lands, adding yet another layer of complexity to this issue. This claim is not being laid with the goal to conserve and protect this ecologically and esthetically valuable land, but with an eye to maximize economic return. Do the Kwikwetlem have a rightful claim to the Riverview lands? Quite possibly, although the courts will ultimately decide.
In either case, the fate of the Riverview lands lies in the hands of the BC Liberal government. Provincial officials must lay the foundation for respectful and equitable government-to-government negotiations to retain the Riverview lands in anticipation of validation of the Kwikwetlem First Nation’s claim. If the claim is not validated, then the unwavering call by Tri-Cities residents to revitalize mental health facilities at Riverview while protecting the irreplaceable green space must be heeded. Anything less will demand a hefty political price tag.
Nancy H. Furness,
Port Coquitlam
