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EDITORIAL: Does anyone care about Riverview?

Riverview Hospital is closing this summer. Will anyone mourn? Will anyone care? Hundreds, even thousands, of Tri-City residents used to work there, and thousands of British Columbians lived there while dealing with mental health issues.

Riverview Hospital is closing this summer. Will anyone mourn? Will anyone care?

Hundreds, even thousands, of Tri-City residents used to work there, and thousands of British Columbians lived there while dealing with mental health issues. Now, the iconic buildings that housed or provided employment for people are film locations or empty shells and their future is uncertain.

Should the Riverview lands stay in public hands, as many citizens wish?

Does the property have heritage value and should the buildings, or at least some of them, be preserved, and perhaps, reused?

Is it just the heritage trees that should be saved?

These are the questions members of the public are asked to consider in a series of upcoming meetings.

If the public wants to have a say, now is the time to make an effort. Workshops are being held to gather input and the results could shape the future of the 244-acre property for generations to come.

Do you care what happens to the Riverview Hospital lands? Vote in The Tri-City News' online poll.