I wish the operator of the excavator that rolled off a 50-foot cliff in Langford a full and speedy recovery. I pass that construction site on Latoria Road often, and nearly weep as I watch the landscape change irrevocably; the trees clear cut and the bedrock hillside blasted to make way for more development.
We live in one of the most naturally beautiful parts of the world, and yet we seem intent on destroying it. Now that most of the easily developed lowland areas have been utilized, we are progressively and systematically transforming rocky hilltops into housing and filling in wetland areas and replacing them with car dealerships and business parks. The loss of trees and the increase in cement and pavement exacerbates rain runoff and flooding that will likely challenge our drainage infrastructure in a changing climate. The increase in traffic from all this new development then triggers the need for expensive road improvements. We accept this as inevitable, and no one seems to be looking at the cumulative effects.
Not only are we in a climate emergency — we are in a biodiversity crisis. By destroying nature, we destroy the hope for a future where we can live in harmony with the Earth and one another.
We desperately need leaders who have a vision of a future where the benefits that our ecosystems and natural areas provide, and our connection and relationship to the land and to one another, are at the heart of every decision.
Karyn Woodland
Colwood
