To the Editor,
While the saga of Colliery Dam Park continues, we have another crucial issue on the agenda and that is the school facilities plan and its potential impact on Cedar.
The school board appears to be following the same path as our city administrators. Make a plan, don’t include those who will be affected, and even if everyone disagrees with it, keep to it at all costs. The board says that moving all of the students from Cedar secondary to Barsby is really for their own good as they will have access to a better curriculum.
A terrible decision is not like fine wine which gets better with age – it gets increasingly bitter and leads to anger and disillusionment. Just as the planned destruction of Colliery Dam Park would have been a horrendous blow to Harewood, the school facilities plan could ultimately have the same impact.
Youth transported to Barsby will always be considered outsiders and will never feel that this is their place. Younger children warehoused into one mega school will also not benefit from the same character and atmosphere of a smaller, less intimidating facility.
Parks, schools, and most importantly people, form the backbone of any community. Ignoring their expressed wishes and needs runs contrary to the purpose of any governing body.
Jeff Solomon
Nanaimo