COLUMN: MBL plan shows town 'clinging to dated' urban-planning concept

As six major Canadian cities work to get their waterfronts right, Midland residents see once-in-a-lifetime opportunity 'slipping through their hands' if they don't vote for candidates favouring a 'pause'

Incumbent Mayor Stewart Strathearn and MBLDC board chair Bill Kernohan want new council to give green light to development, which columnist says lacks adequate public space.

There was an interesting column in the Globe and Mail recently by Marcus Gee. He highlighted the terrific progress six of Canada's major cities have achieved in making their waterfronts attractive and accessible.

Calgary has, after experiencing major flooding, turned large areas over to parks and trails that are major attractions now. Winnipeg turned a railway hub at The Forks into open space with a market, riverside walkways and canoe rentals.

Toronto, belatedly, is making progress with Harbourfront and Sugar Beach and now is embarking on a major reorientation of the mouth of the Don River to both create public spaces and control flooding.

Montreal and Halifax have revitalized their old ports so people can walk and shop and dine.

Most tellingly, Mr. Gee mentions Vancouver's Granville Island area redevelopment which has proved to be a major tourist draw and the beginning of the revival of the whole False Bay area with its extensive trails and public spaces.

As he says, this work began 50 years ago and yet many communities have still not learned from these innovative and successful experiments in urban development and community planning.

Our community insists on being one of those that refuses to benefit from the positive experiences of others.

Given what we've learned in the last 50 years about how our pursuit of growth and development has affected the prospects of the next generations having a livable environment and given the clear evidence that natural spaces are vital to any hope we have of reversing this disaster, why are Council and the Midland Bay Landing Development Corporation still clinging to a dated concept of urban planning?

Why can they not recognize that the last opportunity the Town of Midland has to make a positive contribution is slipping through their hands as we speak?

We are at a happy confluence of rising awareness, increasing concern and impending municipal elections.

Please review the comments of candidates in MidlandToday, speak to them as they campaign door to door and vote for a Council that shows some awareness that we have an opportunity to make a difference.

Bill Molesworth is a retired CEO and chief librarian of both the Midland and Fredericton public libraries.