Dear Editor:
More, please.
Listening to the dulcet tones of Jeremy Fisher in West Vancouver earlier this month, surrounded by friends and neighbours of all ages, with a glass of wine in my hand and the setting sun in the background, was a distinct pleasure.
Kudos are due to the organizers of the Harmony Arts Festival and those contributors who make it possible year after year, including the District of West Vancouver. Seldom does the district get credit, particularly in print, for things that it does right.
Walking home into the summer evening, I wondered: "Why can't we have more of this?" The festival is a vibrant yet all-too-fleeting interlude in a rather dull and lifeless Ambleside scene. The moribund "village" has become, particularly in the evenings, somewhere to drive through on the way to shop at Park Royal or to be entertained downtown; people are voting with their feet. Some lament that the town centre has been ceded to the square outside of Whole Foods.
We need to draw people back into heart of West Vancouver, Ambleside. We need to create spaces, public and private, where the community can meet year-round. We need to create opportunities for people to live and work locally. And we need livelier streets to sustain local businesses.
There is, of course, a balance to be struck between reviving Ambleside and retaining a community feel. New initiatives should be crafted with sensitivity. That said, the status quo is decidedly lacking. We can and should take steps to bring more life, more vitality, more fun into this too-sleepy seaside town
Craig Cameron
West Vancouver
