I am concerned about the proposed widening of the Trans-Canada Highway through Goldstream Provincial Park. While congestion and safety issues on this busy corridor — now handling 29,000 vehicles daily — are real, expanding the highway through the park would be a grave mistake.

Goldstream is one of Vancouver Island’s most ecologically and culturally significant areas. It protects a salmon-bearing stream, vital wildlife habitat and a landscape deeply meaningful to local First Nations.

The narrow corridor leaves little room for construction without major environmental disruption — steep cliffs on one side, a sensitive stream ecosystem on the other.

Safety concerns at the park’s access intersection are valid, but adding a traffic light might worsen congestion. The current pattern of two-lane sections narrowing into one already causes regular backups.

Instead of cutting through Goldstream, I urge the ministry to explore a long-term solution that reroutes the highway around the park. With thoughtful design and modern safeguards, impacts on the watershed can be minimized.

This approach would preserve the park’s ecological integrity, address safety concerns and reflect the environmental values shared by so many British Columbians.

I appreciate the ministry’s efforts to balance safety, efficiency and environmental responsibility. In this case, I hope preserving Goldstream’s natural and cultural heritage will guide decision-making toward a more sustainable solution.

Rosemary Harrison

Saanichton

Re: “B.C. woman returns figurines brought home from war by her father, an army officer,” Nov. 11.

I was saddened to read about the daughter recalling how her father might have obtained the figurines, but heartened to know she found solace in returning them to their original home.

Let me share another side of a related story.

Both my father and my father-in-law served in the Second World War. They were both in the Netherlands during the time of liberation.

It is difficult today to find words that truly express how the people of the Netherlands must have felt when the Canadians marched into their country. Many Dutch families showed their gratitude by giving gifts to the soldiers as they departed.

Written on a memento my father-in-law brought back is: “To our Liberator and his wife in remembrance, May 1945, Beverwijk.” It is signed by all five members of the Dutch family who took him in.

My father, meanwhile, met a young boy selling jewellery made by his father from Dutch coins. The boy exchanged them for food, cigarettes and other........

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