Resident Melanie McConnell says her Port Coquitlam neighbourhood is “like a little piece of heaven.”
A few weeks ago, McConnell received some distressing news from the people who rent the house next door.
“The owner wants to demolish the house and build a 10,000- to 13,000-square-foot home,” she said.
In order to accommodate the monster house, the property owners asked and received permission from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans to move a section of Maple Creek that runs through the backyard.
“When I heard that there was a proposal to move Maple Creek to build a 10,000-square-foot home, my jaw kind of dropped because Maple Creek is so important in our community,” Port Coquitlam Coun. Brad West said. “It’s a real vital watercourse.”
The Maple Creek Streamkeepers have spent 20 years caring for the waterway so local trout and salmon can thrive.
“I couldn’t believe it,” Sandy Budd of the Maple Creek Streamkeepers said. “Residential houses do not get permits to move streams. There is something wrong.”
West said he was “a little surprised that DFO provided a permit to move the creek. We have a process in place where none of that can happen without the city giving its blessings.”
Work was slated to begin Aug. 1 and neighbours say there weren’t consulted.
“Neighbours actually communicating with each other, that’s the only reason they found out about this,” Budd said.
Since then, City Hall has heard that the property owner is willing to modify the proposal. The extent of the changes and whether they’ll be approved by the city, remains to be seen.
West offers this advice to the property owners.
“I would encourage them to consult with the Maple Creek Streamkeepers and other people in our community who can educate them about why people feel so passionately about this watercourse.”
– With files from Linda Aylesworth