Petition launched to stop proposed Pitt Meadows RCMP detachment – Maple Ridge News

A petition to prevent the Town of Pitt Meadows from requesting a new zoning of the park land at Harris Rd. Park, and the establishment of a new separate RCMP detachment from Maple Ridge, has been put into operation.

The petition titled “Petition Against Removal of Parkland and Formation of New RCMP Detachment”, launched by Pitt Meadows resident Darlene Mercer, is in response to council’s proposed plan to rezone 2,300 square meters of parkland. north of Pitt Meadows Heritage Hall, to be used as the site of a new police detachment. Mercer, is against both, the new detachment, as well as the rezoning of the park.

“When I first started looking into this issue at the end of February 2020, I was, like much of the world’s population, struggling with COVID, a total lockdown looming, stay-at-home orders by various health agencies national / global, as well as meeting my father’s long-term care needs, ”said Mercer. She was unable to attend the open house, but managed to send her “no” response to the creation of a new detachment.

“I don’t mean to sound harsh, but I think it was disrespectful to the residents of Pitt Meadows that the town only held its doors open when it did (February 20, 2020), with the mayor claiming a overall approval based on a few people showing up, ”she said.

Mercer insists that since the open house, the city has not presented any formal cost-benefit analysis to the public, nor carried out a full restart of its stage of educating and contributing to the public on this major infrastructure and ” an extremely impactful financial change ”.

READ MORE: New Pitt Meadows RCMP office site considered approved

Mercer said that when she started talking actively with neighbors, friends and other residents in June 2021, she found that 99% of those she spoke to had no knowledge of the project. .

“Everyone had been focused on COVID and staying healthy / surviving. Since I started writing letters to the editor, talking to neighbors more widely and posting messages on social media; in addition, of course, to trying to discuss it with the Council, writing to the solicitor general of BC and the commander of E division, awareness has slowly grown, but even now, maybe that 70 to 75 percent have “heard about” it, but not really information. Some are totally unaware of it, ”she said.

Currently, the petition already has 175 signatures. Mercer hopes to have all the signatures by September 13.

Sign-up sheets can be filed with Mercer. She also has a sign-up sheet outside her home on 19621 Park Rd., Pitt Meadows. New petition sheets are released daily and “the equipment” is cleaned up, Mercer said. She also ventures out into the community every other evening and, along with the other volunteers, hopes to have a public place in the coming week or two.

“The sheets can be placed under my doormat, emailed to nonewdetachmentpm@gmail.com (also handy for those who wish to request a PDF of the petition), or if someone is unable to do so. , I am happy to do a doorstep, safe pickup. I understand that not everyone has a printer or is mobile, so I try to meet the needs of the residents, ”she said.