There are those in Lumby who feel that becoming a prison town will not affect them. Residents in and around Lumby should think this through clearly. It is a decision that will change the community forever.
A few people are likely going to make a great deal of money on this venture but Lumby and area residents will pay the huge price.
Every person who owns property likely has equity, the difference in what is owed on their property and what it is worth on today’s market.
For many, this equity represents a good portion of their life savings. Let's not kid ourselves, real estate will drop if Lumby becomes a prison village. A drop of as little as five per cent will cost the owner of a $350,000 house $17,500 in equity.
It doesn’t matter if you plan to sell or not, your savings in the form of equity will diminish by $17,500. Multiply this by the number of property owners in Lumby and surrounding areas. It is evident who will pay the price for a few people to get rich.
Lumby is not a town. It is a village of 1,670 residents. In B.C., there has never been a prison built near such a small community, let alone inside of it. There have been no studies on the effects of such a huge prison being crammed right into a small community.
At the Charles Bloom information presentation, all prisons featured were shown in open areas away from the towns. I couldn’t help noticing that all but one of the pictures were taken from afar — perhaps they look less intimidating that way.
Don’t be fooled by the “only small time criminals will be in this prison” talk. Remember, as stated at the Bloom info meeting, prisoners including killers and pedophiles stay in this level of prison until they are tried, convicted, and sentenced and only then are they moved to federal prisons.
Here is a familiar message often repeated by police agencies across Canada: “If you are presented with a deal that sounds too good to be true, it probably is."
If you want to preserve this beautiful community and maintain the hard-earned equity in your homes, get out and Vote no April 30.
Bill Huitema
Lumby
