Editor,
A letter to Squamish: You have been my home for the last four years. In that time I have enjoyed your beauty, swam in your lakes, hiked your trails, and fueled your economy.
It was with sadness that I am moving away this week. I am not sad to leave this place - I am sad at what this place has become and will become.
In the last year I have lost my job, watched trees being cut down, heard about the destruction of the GAS project, watched prices rise, and shook my head at the thought of a casino and electronic billboard trumping the majestic Chief. What has this place become?
Squamish, I love you but you are plagued with problems. There are no (real) educational opportunities here. The jobs opportunities are limited to construction. The wildlife is being forced out of their homes due to development. This is not the town I moved to years ago.
So I am saying goodbye forever. I will miss this place for what it used to be. I will not come back to visit because it makes me sad to see the negative changes that are occurring.
Squamish, I wish you the best of luck through this difficult time you are going through. I am worried that you will not pull through. I can no longer sit back and watch the madness continue. I must move on to a better place - a place that Squamish used to be like.
Thank you for your memories. Thank you for your good times. Goodbye, Squamish.
Trisha van Diepen
Squamish
