Editor:
Re: Opinions: The case for wards in New West politics, Record online, Aug. 23
In her opinion, Julie MacLellan questioned whether there existed any strong disparity in economic class in New Westminster, specifically looking for a comparison between Shaughnessy and a "have-not" district, and she concluded that no such great disparity exists in New Westminster.
This should be a shocking statement to make, given the incredible disparity between neighbourhoods that was revealed by the last census, but it's an all-too-common perspective in New Westminster politics.
In the eyes of far too many, New Westminster is a near-homogenous community, close in age, wealth and race; with no great diversity in any critical factor of its population. This is grotesquely false, given the census data we have available, and yet it informs the viewpoint of too many within our municipality.
If one takes a look at CensusMapper's representation of Median Household Income, it's immediately clear that New Westminster is a city of stark social disparity; a city of haves and have-nots. Perhaps unsurprisingly, a look at the Ethnic Diversity data will show a similar disparity between the have and have-not regions.
As an individual living in Brow of the Hill, I have but one request: the dog park in Simcoe Park is nice and all, and I can see the need; but the only playground available for very young children was paved over some years ago to make room for parking, leaving parents with strollers to walk five or more city blocks to reach the nearest playground; and no, Toronto Place Park is not a safe or suitable playground for small children.
Could we please have our playground back?
Daniel Leslie, New Westminster
