Full letter to editior of Courier on Jericho Wharf
Dear Editor:
Re: Jericho Marginal Wharf and Mr. Hasiuk’s “Park board fires ‘green’ torpedo at historic Jericho Wharf “
The decision by the Vancouver Park Board on November 4, 2010 to remove the Jericho Marginal Wharf is a good example of evidenced based decision making.
After consultation and debate going back to 2008, involving two different Park Boards with different party majorities, no community or stakeholder consensus could be reached around the wharf. It was clear, however, that to restore the structurally unsafe wharf would cost almost one million dollars more than to dismantle it.
While Mr. Hasiuk is dismissive of information contained in a letter sent to the Park Board by the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans – calling it part of a “modern green movement” – the evidence in the letter was very relevant to the decision that the board took at the November 4, 2010 meeting.
Habitat restoration encourages and promotes biodiversity, and ecological restoration in Vancouver’s parks will only enhance our enjoyment of these areas. Habitat restoration also recognizes and reconciles a profound history of natural habitat destruction in the city. Where there is the possibility of restoring an area back to its natural state, the opportunity should be taken.
Imagine what Vancouver could be like if all our long covered salmon bearing streams were “day lighted”, ecologically restored, and given a chance to start teaming with life again? Imagine what Beaver Lake in Stanley Park would be like if was restored to its previous rich biodiversity?
Vancouver was born out of plentiful natural treasures found in one of the most ecologically diverse places on the planet. Isn’t that is a history worth celebrating?
Brent Granby
Chair of COPE Park Board Caucus
Park board fires ‘green’ torpedo at historic Jericho Wharf