Thank you for your front page coverage of the late, great John Green.
It should be noted that he is single-handedly responsible for Harrison’s tourism industry beyond the gates of the big hotel. After the dyke was built across the front of the village, it was being quickly eroded by winter waves. The Agassiz bridge was being built to replace the old ferry to Rosedale. Highway 7 ( Lougheed ) was being opened up towards Mission. John, as editor of the local paper, pointed out that sand could be pumped up from the bed of Harrison Lake which would protect the dyke. He also opined that this could create a tourism industry to replace logging which was dying off.
He did not get much support from the Village Board of Commissioners so he ran for Chair (mayor) on this platform and won. So he and Fred Hardy built a dredge and used it to create the beach and the lagoon.
I had the pleasure of working with him as a fellow councillor to reprofile the same lagoon in 1995. John was a visionary who needs to be permanently recognised in the village.
At Monday’s council meeting I was able to suggest that the proposed sasquatch museum be named the “John Green Sasquatch Museum”. Even this would be inadequate recognition of his many contributions to the community over the many years he lived and worked here.
- John Allen