To the editor:
Re: "Musqueam, developer continue wrangling over Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»land," Sept. 7.
The Musqueam should not have to "wrangle" with anyone over this contested site. One: the significance of the midden is clear. Two: the Musqueam want to use the site to provide a clear ongoing public benefit to all who live in Vancouver. Three: this is already their land and they never gave or sold it to anyone.
For the Musqueam to be willing to pay a "reasonable price" means they are already bending over backward at least twice.
Provincial and/or municipal governments never should have attempted to facilitate development desires for a fait accompli. To the extent that landowners and developers speculated wrongly on the increase in value that settler government might provide through rezoning, they should suffer loss. To the extent that the governments misled the speculators, they perhaps should step in with compensation.
Joseph Jones, Vancouver
