IT'S NOT SO BAD

Editor, The News:

Re: Trustees Refute Meth Claims (The News, Sept. 16).

The greatest negative impact on my business is the perception that
downtown Maple Ridge is over-run with homeless crackheads. It is not.

But our honourable mayor, Gordy Robson, and the honourable media seem
intent on creating the impression that Maple Ridge is an increasingly
dangerous place in which to live and the only solution is instituting
treatment programs and building government-funded, privately operated shelters.

I would like to see the statistics that underlie this repeated call
for treatment centres to be built for the seemingly numberless
addicts in this town. What percentage of our population is addicted,
homeless, and has this figure increased. If so, over what period.

Give us some up-to-date, reliable facts from an unbiased source so we
can judge if Maple Ridge is indeed as dangerous as some perceive it
to be, or are we being subjected to scare tactics.

The negative impact on my business is the perception that Maple Ridge
is an increasingly dangerous place. And it's disheartening to know
that the honourable mayor aggressively fuels this perception as if he
had a vested interest in painting the town black.

I'd like to see him balance the downside with some positive
boosterism (e.g. how many high school students in this town are
crackheads, and how many get scholarships to university).

I'd like to see municipal hall take an active and direct role in
promoting, provincially, nationally and internationally, our tourism
and our town, and encourage small businesses and light industry to
settle in Maple Ridge.

I'd like to see municipal incentives given to artists, artisans,
crafts people and small businesses, in general, so that they would
fill existing vacant shops and add even more vitality to a downtown
that's not half bad.

I. Mohr

Maple Ridge