To the editor:
A few days ago I met with Mr. LeBlanc, the proponent for a Peachland gravel pit. He told me the land up Princeton Avenue was purchased with a dream to do something great for the town. Mr. Leblanc has applied for a permit to mine this land within town limits.

One reason town limits are in place is to set the tone or character of a town. For example, some towns are mining towns, some are industrial towns, and some are farming towns. Many years ago the same land Mr. LeBlanc now owns was a lumber mill. During this time Peachland was considered a mill town. Today Peachland has a very different reputation and could be regarded as a tourist town.

If Peachland was a gravel pit town when most of today’s Peachlanders purchased their homes they would have moved here with this knowledge. Over the past many years anyone purchasing a home in Peachland has done so to live in a quiet, quaint town, with lovely gathering places, beautiful beaches and great views.

Oyama, a few years ago was regarded as a small lovely town similar to Peachland. Today Oyama has 5 gravel pits. Once one was approved, a precedent was set.

Attack of the Gravel Pits

I understand Mr. Leblanc owns property to develop. But, Peachlanders need to know this is not about moving earth around to prepare a site to build over a one-year period. A permit to mine is about hundreds of thousands of tonnes of earth extracted, to be refined on site to sell, to remove it from the property in large noisy dump trucks, using Highway 97 through Peachland, Monday to Friday, 7am to 5pm from April to November over a minimum period of 5 years BEFORE building. Everybody “loves Peachland” is definitely threatened, as permits can be extended to 10 and 15 years.

Mr. LeBlanc, this land does not need to be mined to develop. There are choices other than changing the very essence of Peachland. When a person wants to do something great for a town, they consult the people, especially the people within its limits. Mining will change the character and reputation of any town. A gravel pit is not right for Peachland. Mr. LeBlanc, do something great and help preserve Peachland's reputation by not mining your land.

Deborah Mousseau,
Peachland Resident