In his letter in the July 26 Leader, Gary Robinson says “...we can’t solve the whole world’s environmental problems in the City of Surrey...” and that “we had a proud environmental record,” and then gives away the store by saying “Why can’t we develop in a way that allows more trees to stay?”
Let’s face the facts – to “develop” is to deploy death across the natural landscape. Human environmental degradation is not an issue that can be resolved by international treaties such as Kyoto, because the real issue is at the local government level – where the bulldozer blade destroys the natural soils, where money is poured out upon the land to generate income. And the facilitator for this evil destruction, as Mr. Robinson should well know, is that board of environmental criminals known as Surrey city council.
And one of the most powerful tools of council is their obscene power of zoning – the power to change your property’s zoning without your approval, essentially taxing a property owner out of their longtime home, to sweep that house and all living things around it out of the way of development.
This provision of the Municipal Act must absolutely be struck down. We are not tenants of the city, the city is supposed to exist to serve the public good of the community, rather be a facilitator for the corporate greed of the developers.
Robert McCroskey, Surrey