There has been talk of sorts that the proposed deal with MK Delta Lands is the best trade-off or compromise that we could get. [But] the fact remains, more of Burns Bog is set to be destroyed.
Delta council has opened a path for bulldozers and dump trucks into the bog. What has influenced council’s decision? Were deals/offers (land transfers and money), persuasions (more development attempts in the bog), and tax revenue involved? Council surely didn’t want to destroy any part of this environmental jewel but nature’s influence on council seems to take the back seat.
Why is it such a problem to protect what is left of Burns Bog, and [why] give in to it’s destruction? The problem is one of private ownership of a precious piece of nature. This problem is not insurmountable.
In fact, this same problem was overcome to a large degree back in 2004 with the creation of the Burns Bog Ecological Conservancy Area. Can this current problem be solved like it was back in 2004?
Of course it can, but sadly, so far, there is no political will.
If MK Delta Lands gets the final go ahead for their project, what is there to stop Suzicorp from developing their large parcel of bog next to MK’s (on the east side)? Private interest has trumped the environment and the public good, but my hope is that further destruction of the bog is not inevitable.
Delta council knows what they are getting out of this deal, but do they grasp the benefits of keeping our “Lungs of the Lower Mainland” protected from encroachment disease?
Jason Lewko, via email