The Livable Blog

Activists get gritty in protest over Gateway Program

07/22/10

02:39:16 pm, by edoherty

, 212 words

Categories: Gateway, Environment, BC Politics, Transportation, South Fraser Perimeter Road, Oil & Gas

Activists get gritty in protest over Gateway Program

Barred Owl seen from the South Fraser Witness Trail

Activists get gritty in protest over Gateway Program
By Matthew Burrows

Some of the sand put in place to stabilize the ground for the planned $1-billion South Fraser Perimeter Road—part of the Gateway Program—will soon be headed straight for B.C. Transportation Minister Shirley Bond.

Long-time Surrey resident Bernadette Keenan, a founding member of the Bridgeview Community Action Group, told the Georgia Straight that she and other local activists are behind a campaign they’re calling Sand for Shirley. Keenan said she has already collected recycled envelopes, and now she’s getting people who are concerned about the construction of the SFPR to sign a form and scoop sand into an envelope for Bond. The envelopes will be hand-delivered rather than mailed, Keenan added.

“Why sand? It is a symbol,” she said by phone. “They’re dumping it on us. It’s in our faces, and you can’t drive anywhere around our neighbourhood without seeing it. There used to be trees growing there. There were plants and houses, and people that I know and respected are gone now because of that sand. Basically, I hate it.”

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Full article with video and comments
http://www.straight.com/article-334740/vancouver/activists-get-gritty-protest-over-gateway-program

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Our goal as the Livable Region Coalition (LRC) is to provide a voice for those who believe that efficient and sustainable transportation is a cornerstone for the future of the Lower Mainland. We believe that through creating attractive transportation choices, encouraging urban density, and preserving green space and agricultural land, we can make our communities better places to live and grow.

We believe that the provincial government's strategy to pursue excessive development through the Gateway project is detrimental to the well-being of Greater Vancouver. The Gateway project's stated goals of reducing pollution and congestion will not materialize. Evidence for this comes from many sources. Instead, we advocate real solutions that will actually work and will be less expensive.