The following letter to Lord Mayor Gary Zalepa was submitted to The Lake Report for publication.

I was pleased to see you showing an interest in providing more housing in the town, (“Old hospital, other sites could be seniors housing, Zalepa says,” The Lake Report, Aug. 15).

However, the hospital site is surrounded by commercial properties such as two major hotels, restaurants and the main Shaw Festival theatre.

Therefore, it is more suitable and more valuable for a commercial use, such as a hotel. Similarly, when a property is completely surrounded by residential uses, that property is obviously more suitable for housing, not a hotel. 

Perhaps in the future you should focus on properties that are currently used for housing. Alternatively, it could be land that is adjacent to residential use, where it could be rezoned for housing. 

Wayne Murray
NOTL