Dear Editor,
Trees provide numerous benefits, including improving air quality by filtering pollutants, combating climate change through carbon absorption, and enhancing mental and physical health by offering green spaces for recreation and relaxation. They also support biodiversity by providing habitats for various wildlife species.
The Maple Ridge tree project probably was paid for by the tree grants the federal government started a number of years ago. Check out treecanada.ca.
As for garbage collection, we had a referendum during a civic election a number of years back. The residents voted against adding an additional tax to fund this project. Garbage collection through the city would mean more taxes annually as they need to cover union wages and benefits and it would also mean purchasing equipment that would require maintenance.
I am more concerned with the 4.1-tax-increase for Maple Ridge citizens and the fact mayor and council gave a raise to all non-union municipal staff.
If you want more revenue, then initiate residential permit parking starting with 240th Street, which should have been four lanes – as originally advertised and is now a parking lot due to appeasing developers again. Company vehicles need to pay more than regular homeowner permits as they can write it off as the cost of doing business.
Another tax savings would be fiscal responsibility as in directing every department to find cost savings and redundancy.
Gas prices are up and will not likely come down, affecting every pay scale and everything one needs for everyday life. These are hard times and will get even harder.
This is not the right time to increase taxes on anything.
It’s the time to reconfigure all budgets and do some belt tightening just like Maple Ridge residents are doing. Either this mayor and council are part of the solution or they are very much part of the problem.
We really need a reset at all levels of government, as politicians are out of touch with the communities they were elected to serve. They’ve become elitists and act like they are not accountable to anyone.
Marie Robson, Maple Ridge