Cushman and Wakefield is a real estate company out of Toronto which has been hired to look at the green spaces at Laurentian University.
In the recent media releases, C & W says that an analysis of land and green spaces could “lead to future opportunities to monetize portions of the portfolio.” In non real estate language, I interpret this to mean sell off the green spaces to the highest bidders.
Once these green spaces are gone, they are forever gone to our community. They are what make the university and our city unique and attractive. They are like a Central Park in New York City, Hyde Park in Toronto or a Stanley Park for Vancouver.
The residents of these three cities would never dream of “monetizing” these properties and chopping them up for sale.
The executive director of the Rainbow Routes Association in Greater Sudbury wrote an excellent letter to the editor July 3.
In it Daniel writes of the long term impact “the devastating and irreversible impact to environmental stewardship and healthy communities.”
How can any one or real estate company put a price on the ecology and the health of citizens with these green spaces?
Jane Cox
Sudbury