COLUMN: The price of progress

There’s a price to what some may consider progress.

I drove down to Britannia Beach to talk to people about the store closures in the area, which have been prompted by a new development.

Driving down the Sea to Sky, I caught sight of the little shops huddled under the old Britannia Mine, an area that will one day have dozens of townhouse and commercial units looking out to the waters of Howe Sound.

It didn’t take long for me to realize how much of a fixture those old little stores have been.

Everyone there knew they were on borrowed time, and it was emotional.

I watched a shop owner embrace a pair of longtime customers whom she called family. I saw her mother, greying and a little stooped, grin as she got pulled into the group hug. 

I listened to a woman recount to me how she has been visiting the area for decades, how a piece of her childhood – this place – would no longer be something she could share with her own children.

I heard a store manager wonder what would be next for her. I listened to her muse about how this place has been central to her life for about 14 years.

But I also listened to others who are excited of the prospect of something new coming into the area.

Where one store stands there could one day be a Triple-O’s or a Korean restaurant. Where another shop resides there could be a fancy retail store or a café.

Should an area be left to stagnate for the sake of a handful of little shops? 

If we look throughout much of history, we can see a similar pattern play out.

Many of us – or at least our ancestors – have made their homes in places that probably caused others to get displaced.

I can only imagine how the First Nations felt when Europeans decided to move into North America uninvited. No doubt, it was an awful thing.

Yet, I’m also aware that if that hadn’t happened, many of us wouldn’t be calling this country home.

It seems to be a fact of life that someone’s happiness or progress is often built – sometimes literally – on another’s misfortune. 

I’m not saying development is inherently good or bad, but I think it’s necessary for us to be aware of the cost.

Sometimes, it’s someone’s livelihood.