Here is a petition I started a long time ago and forgot about. Click on it and sign if you agree, it only takes a few seconds to make a difference in our community. Mission is a very young community, yet this is being overlooked by city council. According to Stats Can in 2012 Mission has the highest proportion of children in the country. We also ranked number one out of 33 CMAs in Canada with a rate of 19% of our population being under the age of 14 and over 2/3 of Missions population is under the age of 45. There was a report done by Lees and Associates in 2009, which concluded that all categories in our town of parks and play facilities was low compared to the BC community average for a community our size and needed some serious attention. Other than a tot park @ Tunbridge, in the past 5 years there have been no additions made to our park/play facility inventory, yet our population has steadily increased. As stated by Jan Gehl, probably the most famous and quoted architect and urban design consultants of our time, first you build a city, then the city builds you. The way our town is currently designed, it promotes a sedentary lifestyle and is having many ill effects on our town and the people that reside in it. We need more options to give residents of Mission the opportunity to get out and play, socialize and connect with each other, stay out of trouble and simply to live healthier lifestyles. In Mission, we have hiking opportunities on the outskirts of our town, but studies have shown the most effective way to get people outside, active, moving and interacting is to provide opportunities, or draws in the form of play facilities or park amenities a maximum of 5-10 minutes walking distance away from the doorstep. Our mayor during a town hall meeting was quoted saying Mission will not be investing in the youth, or health of our community. The primary focus will be in the Downtown and the secondary issue will be the Waterfront. When those things move ahead Mission will look @ other things. When you take a look @ the supply of inventory, many of the courts and facilities in our town are in either below average condition, some are even hazards and unusable and others are just simply boring and will never draw anyone. We are demanding the District of Mission develop a 5 yr plan to invest in the following: quality basketball courts, lit tennis courts, a lit all weather field and track, a proper skate park, dog parks, outdoor gym, an obstacle course, a frizbee golf course, soccer golf course and to invest in pedestrian safety in the form of sidewalks, lit crosswalks and proper street lighting. There needs to be a shift in where our tax dollars are being spent. Obesity, diabetes and heart disease are at critical levels in Canada and they are especially high in bedroom communities/commuter towns built around the automobile, Mission is one of these communities. Having available activities within walking distance of our homes, is a key ingredient thats missing. If we want to bond, mold, and strengthen our community we need to provide these options to our residents for a healthy and balanced Mission.
Posted on: Sat, 09 Aug 2014 15:33:01 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015