The letter to your paper by Chris and Karleena Perry is unfortunate. I grew up in St. Albert in the 1960s and 1970s and now live in greater Los Angeles.
What I recall about St. Albert was an open, accepting community. At that time it was also a higher-earning community but many of my friends and neighbours were not as well off as others in the community. I recall the community at large coming to the aid of those less fortunate.
Fast forward to 2010. Has St. Albert become elitist? I don't think so according to my many friends still there.
The community I currently live in is also upscale with the least expensive housing starting at $400,000 USD and Habitat for Humanity has several developments in the community. I know because we volunteer to build these homes, the most recent of which is actually a condo project rather than single-family housing.
The Perrys’ characterization of the type of people living in these developments is conjecture at least and bigoted at the other end of the scale. Obviously, they have not worked alongside the future owners of these developments or, I dare say, in close proximity to a Habitat for Humanity project.
Thank you to the Gazette for having the guts to expose such total nonsense in the community by printing their letter.
Peter Morris, Glendale, Calif., U.S.A.
