The June 15th city council meeting was a real eye-opener. Too bad more residents were not present. They could have witnessed city council move with lightening speed never seen before.
When I was told by Coun. Krause that he did not care what I thought, that he would do as he pleased, I thought there must be other councillors who cared what taxpayers thought, what ideas they might have concerning the renaming of Fort George Park. Apparently there is only one.
Coun. Koehler stood alone as the only council member who expressed a desire to allow some time to obtain feedback and explore alternative ideas.
I was asked by one councillor "can you clarify how a name change would harm you?" My reply was "the name change will not harm me, or affect my life in any way." So that got me thinking, "Why am I so opposed to changing the name of the park? Why do I feel so sad about it?"
The answer is this: I suspect a lot of thought was put into naming the park in the first place. Fort George Park indicates where it is, and what it is. Fort George is where Granny Seymour lived. I visited her there. Fort George is where the First Nations people lived. I do know how to spell "Lheidli T'enneh. I think I make a pretty good attempt at pronouncing it.
There is no denying the horrific events of the past. It is a rare occasion when I do not hear about them. I wish I could turn back time and have a "do over." I thought for some strange reason 2015 was a 100th Year Anniversary to celebrate Prince George. Not so. City Council seems to think it is to celebrate the horrific events of the past. The renaming of the park to "Lheidl T'enneh Memorial Park" will be a sad commentary to the so-called "celebration."
I do agree with Coun. Krause on a few points. I do believe that the way to understanding and acceptance is through education and sharing of cultures. That is what I would have like to see happen. Not much chance of that now. The disrespect shown to the residents of Prince George by the members of city council is nothing short of shameful.
Sherry Price
Prince George
