LETTER

Editorial and letter -- at cross-purposes 

Loved your editorial, “Heat islands..or more trees?” All life is about choice based on our consciousness. On the opposite page Robert L. Thompsett  wrote in his letter that the City of Gatineau is holding up development in Aylmer. He feels speed limits should be increased back up to the 50 it used to be.  Since he believes Aylmer has too many stop signs slowing people down, perhaps we might ask when did Robert move to Aylmer? 

Is he aware that in residential neighbourhoods we all have a vested interest in going slow for not just children, dogs, squirrels and elders, but for the mature trees that thrive only if we protect them, like ourselves, from noise and speed that kills. 

Allowing citizens and developers to keep cutting down mature trees and replacing nature with cement – and increasing the speed by which we live – is a recipe for killing not just our mature beautiful oaks, but also what a quality of life in relationship with caring for nature looked like.  

Not just trees are at risk, but aging citizens and children who walk on our sidewalks – especially crosswalks. At Wilfred Lavigne crossing Principle, big trucks and buses turning cannot see anyone shorter than 5 feet tall, so allowing our residential streets back to 50  and getting rid of stop signs for me is a recipe to prove that speed really kills!  People and trees.

Common sense:  slow down and save our quality of life for all! 

A year ago, I wrote that it is more people, cars, trucks, noise – and no new roads to accommodate this development. Isn’t this the true issue? 

Judith Matheson, 

Heart + Soul Light Centre, 

Aylmer