Editor:
As it is common knowledge, the provincial government placed Delta on the provincial naughty list for the lack of housing development. As a result, the city is working on plans to bring thousands of new residents into the community over the next several years.
I have lived in Delta since 2005 and witnessed the city manage the growth adequately in North and South Delta. These are very distinct communities with unique needs and wants, so, I commend the City of Delta for their tight balancing act.
My overall concern is not with the sheer volume of people coming to our community, but how do we integrate these newcomers (Immigrants or Canadians) into our community and pass on our Delta community values?
I believe that to be a successful community, we need to define what it means to be part of the community of Delta and how we can transfer this knowledge to our newcomers.
The biggest issue with doing nothing would be that we bring in all these people with no plan and then the people who lived here become disenfranchised and not able to recognize the community and eventually leave.
We need the long-term residents to stay here and help shepherd the new residents on how to live and enjoy Delta and share our community values.
So how do we go about doing this?
First I believe the city needs to spearhead this, as they have the resources. Then bring the community together though open houses or an online platform to provide their thoughts and have an open forum for discussion, so we can build these values together.
Ted Olak
