Tired of Onni and developers
Dear Editor,
Re: “Onni’s Steveston boardwalk rezoning moves to public hearing,” Richmond-News.com, April 10.
The city requires a covenant on the property Onni is developing, and for Onni to enter into a legal agreement to secure business operations. This assures a hotel would be constructed and operated and also ensures that staff are on site, during business hours.
Currently, the Onni group will only provide staff for the "hotel" Monday to Friday, 9 to 5, and Saturday and Sunday, 10 to 4.
This is not adequate for a hotel, for their guests or other residents in the area. The covenant would ensure the property would be run as an authentic hotel, when in fact Onni admitted they would use AirBnB to rent out the suites and there would be no front desk.
At the city council general purposes meeting April 3, the Onni Group said they would not agree to the covenant because "future flexibility was needed.”
I’m sorry Onni, this is our neighborhood. We are tired of developers walking all over us. City council should have denied the rezoning application on the spot, but instead they just referred it back to staff to try again for a covenant.
Onni deserves no more good will from the City of Richmond, and it’s time for councillors to step up and ensure developers toe the line.
Kathy Munsie
Richmond
Do the right thing, Richmond, build the homeless housing project
Dear Editor,
I am very pleased to write a letter supporting the proposed temporary modular housing at 7300 Elmbridge.
This seems to be an excellent location...within walking distance of the foodbank; the government offices that currently provide the supports that are needed; it is close to transit, to food stores and to community services.
We, in Richmond, need to be a compassionate and caring community. In recent years, this city has become a community with an excess of oversized mansions where families live in luxury; we have encouraged developers to build beautiful highrises and high end townhouses that sell for well over a million per unit.
We have a limited number of social housing and co-ops for those families who are lucky enough to be able to get off their lengthy waitlists.
But we also need to extend our housing options to those who are the most vulnerable.
This is temporary housing folks...it bides some time for our community to develop a more permanent solution and location.
Everyone deserves a home...a space to feel safe, a place to call their own.
I am urging Mayor and Council and the Richmond community to support 7300 Elmbridge now. Let's get this done ASAP.
Let's build community by taking care of our most vulnerable citizens. This is the right thing to do.
Marie Murtagh
Richmond
MLA Reid: Richmond has glorious opportunity to build housing for the homeless
Dear Editor,
People with a place to live are not homeless.
Homelessness is not something any of us would wish upon our friends and neighbours.
We have an opportunity to deliver homes to people in need in Richmond.
All of us need a sense of belonging. We all need a place to lay our heads at night which is safe, dry and sustainable.
Poverty is not a crime. Mental illness is not a crime. Escaping domestic violence is not a crime.
We can offer a hand up to people who struggle every day.
We have a glorious opportunity to build housing that matters.
You could be part of changing a life for the better and perhaps lift up a child or senior in our community.
I believe the heart of a city is measured by how we treat those most vulnerable.
I believe we can make a concrete difference this year. My thanks to all who will make transitional housing a reality in Richmond.
Linda Reid, MLA
Richmond South Centre
The facts of the Harold Steves’ Twittergate case are…
Dear Editor,
Reading about Harold Steves’ comments regarding the kicking incident at the Richmond library and the size of houses being built on the ALR is nothing less than a joke.
Have they (meaning all cultures) become so sensitive and politically correct that the facts about any topic become a racial issue?
Let’s reverse recent news stories for a moment. If the victim kicked had been Asian and the young man that kicked her was Caucasian, would the story have vanished so quickly?
Would it have been considered a possible hate crime? Or the recent assault of a man in Ontario by three thugs of South Asian ethnicity from B.C. be called a potential hate crime had the circumstances been reversed?
Perhaps the facts are facts and multiculturalism is a convenient term used by every culture and colour, with the exception of white people, who appear to be excluded when it comes to free speech and any racial reality comment.
After all, demographic statistics prove and suggest that white people are, and will become, the minority group within Greater Vancouver in the next 10 years.
Steves said the truth and he should not have been put in a media or cultural position to apologize. Facts are facts and Steves disclosed the facts.
Bruce MacLeod
Richmond
Fancy cars in Richmond grind my gears
Dear Editor,
Seriously? Folks really feel the need to drive Bentleys or Lamborghinis around Richmond?
I call BS. Don’t get me wrong, I love the art of automotive ingenuity.
I, myself, dream of driving an Audi or BMW, of feeling the beauty of cutting edge technology as I drive.
Likewise, I don’t begrudge people enjoying the fruits of their labour or the wealth that life has provided them.
But seriously, you feel the need to make such a grandiose display of wealth?
We are a free country that runs on a market economy, but at what point does this display of extreme wealth become distasteful, and are the rest of us within our rights to call time?
If life has afforded you that much wealth, can you not buy a beautiful car at half the price, say merely an Audi or Lexus, and give the rest to charity to promote, say, clean drinking water in developing areas of the world?
Just sayin’...
Dean Wallis
Richmond
Just put all recycling in one bin
Dear Editor,
I appreciate the ads the city placed to help us recycle. However I’m not certain we are doing this the most effective way.
I’ve seen other jurisdictions where all recycling is placed in one bin and is sorted by the recyclers instead of keeping many bins at each house. We’re trying to train 200,000 residents when a couple of dozen at the recyclers could do it properly.
How often have you seen someone standing at the many three bin stations trying to determine which bin to use.
They all have different pictures and descriptions.
Usually after studying the bins for a few seconds, they guess. I’m sure most of these bins need re-sorting at the recyclers in any event as many of the deposits are in the wrong bin.
Why not have all recycling sorted once at the recyclers by the experts. Most of us can do a reasonable job of determining what is recyclable and what is garbage.
R.W. (Bob) Garnett
A win-win for Steveston
Dear Editor,
As a longtime resident of Richmond, I have seen many changes, including in Steveston.
I think change is healthy, but only for the right reasons, and the lack of possible transportation methods into the Village is not an acceptable one.
For years I have been promoting the idea of a system of street cars, or at least a hop-on/hop-off bus-option.
Both are proven in most of Western Europe.
It would bring many more locals and tourists to Steveston, in an affordable manner.
Also reducing car traffic and the many stores would benefit.
I think it would be perfect for travellers with 4-6 hour layovers at YVR - show them our lovely 'hood, let them have some fresh air, pocket a bit of investment into our local economy, and have them depart with good memories and more knowledge of the history of Richmond and Steveston.
I consider that a win-win situation.
Henrik Laursen
Richmond
Finally, a new Richmond Hospital Tower
Dear Editor,
Finally, Richmond Hospital will be getting its much needed new acute care tower.
To its credit, the entire community came together in urging/convincing/requesting the provincial government to approve this project.
Premier John Horgan and Health Minister Adrian Dix deserve our sincere thanks and appreciation for giving it the green light.
Both of them have taken keen interest in this much needed facility for this community.
The concept plan will now proceed to the business plan and eventual contract and construction phases. Hopefully, we will have our new tower before long.
I was away in India on a family vacation when Mr. Horgan and Mr. Dix made the announcement at Richmond Hospital last month and missed the excitement generated by this announcement.
A lot of stakeholders including Richmond Hospital Foundation, VCH, and Richmond City Council, media including Richmond News, numerous other community organizations and individuals have worked tirelessly to make it happen.
Finally, there is light at the end of the tunnel.
Balwant Sanghera
Richmond
