Editor:
I received a notice of application for a proposed rezoning at 5128 Ladner Trunk Road to permit a cannabis dispensary at the Ladner Centre shopping mall.
I totally oppose this proposal.
First, I am a senior who has been living quietly with my elderly husband in Ladner for more than 12 years. Ladner to us has been the perfect place to retire and live peacefully. The cannabis dispensary will attract the influx of cannabis addicts from neighboring areas including Metro Vancouver to our small town of Ladner.
Second, with the presence of a cannabis dispensary in the town centre, I am predicting more noise, more chaos, more theft, more violence and an environment that is not suitable for senior quiet living.
Third, the cannabis dispensary will be situated beside the DQ Restaurant where many high school and elementary school students spend their time after school. As a responsible parent, I would not allow my children to go to the stores and restaurants close to the dispensary. This would lead to losses to the established big and small businesses in the Ladner Centre shopping mall.
Fourth, the presence of the cannabis dispensary will give a bad influence on high school students as well as elementary students. These students may out of curiosity try out the cannabis and will be addicted in no time. This will result in more cannabis addiction in Ladner.
Fifth, Ladner will cease to be a safe place for us, seniors, to go around the town centre whether daytime or nighttime. It will also cease to be a safe place to families with small children.
The City of Delta should not sacrifice the good and peaceful living of its communities and peoples in helping those addicted to cannabis. It is commendable to help addicts but not at the expense of the population and businesses of Ladner.
If the City of Delta would like to help the cannabis addicts by establishing a cannabis dispensary, then, the City of Delta should take the dispensary and establish it in a farm far away from innocent students, small families, quiet seniors, and those not addicted.
Teresita Nixon
