The Livable Blog

In Mexico City, one of the largest and most polluted urban areas in the world, an autocratic government is pushing an urban freeway project despite opposition from a wide variety of residents and groups. Sound familiar?

But the interesting thing is that in Mexico City the city has a human rights commission - something that Metro Vancouver could use. The commission found that the Supervia (Superway) not so free freeway violates "the rights to decent housing, a healthy environment, water, information, citizen participation, and legal security" and that rapid transit should be considered as an alternative. Sounds like Gateway to me.

Interestingly, people in Mexico city demonstrated against this freeway project on 10/10/10 as people in Metro Vancouver demonstrated against the SFPR freeway.

By BRONSON PETTITT

Mexico Weekly / Jan. 21, 2011

The capital's Supervía has suffered a setback by the Mexico City Human Rights Commission but may be successful on the federal level.

The CDHDF is recommending the capital government suspend construction of the bypass until a public consultation takes place, while the federal Environment and Natural Resources Secretariat indicated Thursday it may green-light construction in exchange for more stringent mitigation measures.

Mexico City Mayor Marcelo Ebrard reiterated his refusal to suspend construction, but said he would “carefully” review the CDHDF report, El Universal reported.

In its 60-page recommendation issued Thursday, the CDHDF identified six human rights that were violated in the construction of the Supervía: the rights to decent housing, a healthy environment, water, information, citizen participation, and legal security.

The commission made a 10-point recommendation, the first of which orders the city to stop construction until a public discussion is held “to guarantee an extensive and plural participation in which the concerns, opinions and proposals of people affected by the project are heard and considered.”

Other points included:

• The capital government should have sufficient evaluations and assessments of the needs for mobility of people and commuters in the southwestern part of the city; using this diagnostic, sustainable transportation methods should be considered, and any subsequent project should have a complete environmental impact study that adheres to capital environmental and human rights laws. [snip]

Full text at http://www.mexicotoday.com.mx/en/latest-news-footer-links-35/2318-df-human-rights-commission-calls-for-supervia-suspension.html

But the wave against the pave is building. This is what I found on the internet, after being tipped off to the story by someone in Russia I have never heard of. The wave is building!

Open Letter to Mexico City Mayor Marcelo Ebrard
A Letter From International Organizations About Mexico City's Superhighway Project

By Environmental and Civil Rights Organizations from the United States and Canada
With Twenty-Seven Organizations
February 21, 2011

Mayor Marcelo Luis Ebrard Casaubón
Head of Government of the Federal District
Mexico, D.F.

Mayor Ebrard,

We are organizations and individuals from the United States and Canada that support the community of La Malinche in the borough of Magdalena Contreras. We send you this letter because we are concerned about what is happening in the zone and also concerned about the entire project of the Western Superhighway. We support the Broad Front Against the Western Superhighway and in Defense of the Environment, a peaceful, nonpartisan citizens movement, and their demands of:

1) The immediate departure of the security forces from La Malinche and the protected natural area of La Loma;

2) The immediate suspension of all activity related to the construction of the Superhighway;

3) Compliance with all of the terms of the 1/2011 Recommendation issued by the Human Rights Commission of the Federal District on January 20th; and

4) Creating the conditions for a real and serious dialogue between the community and you as the Head of the Government.

Who we are

We are organizations that fight for civil rights, social justice, and environmental justice in our communities. We confront global warming with community solutions, such as advancing good public transportation in our communities, putting an end to deforestation of our forests, and removing factories that pollute our communities and earth.

We build community solutions to solve problems caused by corporate greed at the local and global level. We were in Mexico in December 2010 for the United Nations International Conference on Climate Change in Cancun (COP-16), and many of us visited communities in various states of the Mexican Republic before arriving in Cancun. We visited the vibrant community of La Malinche and the encampment of the Broad Front. We met the neighbors, saw the expropriated buildings in the zone, and learned about the situation. We are in solidarity with this community and their demands.

Human rights violations

We are concerned about the violations of the human rights of the community’s people, beginning with the aggression suffered due to the surprise incursion into the neighborhood of La Malinche on January 1, 2011. We understand that the Human Rights Commission of the Federal District issued precautionary measures to the Federal District Government in December and put forth that the government avoid exerting aggressive behavior during the December winter holidays and that they inform the community of La Malinche and the Commission in case they decided to enter.

However, without prior warning, government officials with hundreds of granadero police officers entered the neighborhood at 6:30 in the morning and put up metal barriers, barbed wire, and a police blockade. They took possession of 51 of the expropriated buildings in the neighborhood and began the demolition of the buildings. All of this is a form of aggression that has impeded the free movement of the residents and has impacted their health, tranquility, and personal integrity.

It has been a violation of their human rights. This is why we support the Broad Front’s demands for the immediate departure of the security forces from La Malinche and La Loma and the immediate suspension of all activity related to construction of the Superhighway. We ask the Federal District Government to comply with the 1/2011 Recommendation, issued by the Human Rights Commission of the Federal District on January 20th, in which the suspension of the project named “Western Superhighway” is asked for as long as there is no public consultation and new environmental impact declaration. It is imperative that your government comply with all of the terms of this important commission’s recommendation.

We know that the Broad Front has made many different calls for a real dialogue with the Federal District Government but without adequate response from the authorities. This is also a human rights violation of the citizens of the area. People have the right to discuss and participate in important public decisions that impact their families, their communities, their land. They have the right to help build solutions to the problems, especially a problem as serious as this one. Real dialogue is urgent and necessary. We support the demand for a serious, public, and respectful dialogue between the community and your government.

No to the Western Superhighway for environmental reasons

We are part of the diverse voices, including local organizations, urban and environmental specialists, and politicians like former Head of Government of D.F. Andrés Manuel López Obrador, that have recommended halting the Superhighway project due to environmental concerns. We are worried about the Superhighway project because of the environmental damages that this project will bring to communities like Magdalena Contreras and to all of Mexico City.

It is going to cause serious environmental impact with the destruction of thousands of trees and the pollution of air and water, due to the highway construction and due to the automobiles. We know from other cities in the world that these types of highways contribute to air pollution and are unsustainable as solutions for mobility, specifically because they cause traffic with the increase of cars using the infrastructure. Although there may be plans for public transportation on the Superhighway, automobiles are going to dominate, which we have seen in other cities like Los Angeles, California.

The Superhighway is not a long term solution for congestion but instead will privilege the automobile and encourage its greater use in the city. The result will be more air pollution due to the automobile emissions. This pollution is a serious threat to the health of all communities impacted by the Superhighway. It is also a grave threat to the earth because of the impact on global warming. To confront global warming, we have to dramatically reduce automobile emissions, not give privilege to automobiles to continue polluting.

Furthermore, the construction of the Superhighway is going to destroy green areas with forests, ravines, wild species, and water. This green zone is crucial as the lungs of Mexico City because it cleans the air and helps cool the planet with all of the oxygen generated daily by the trees. It is estimated that 36,000 trees will be cut for the construction of the Superhighway. Mexico City, and the entire world, cannot lose nor allow the destruction of these incredibly valuable resources of the earth. We ask that your government protect green areas of Mexico City, for the wellbeing of the city, its inhabitants, and for all of the inhabitants of the world.

The protection of water is also of utmost importance. Superhighway construction and forest destruction can cause serious harm from contamination to the Magdalena River, one of the last living rivers in Mexico City. Furthermore, much of the water that maintains the water tables for the city is in this zone. The Superhighway, particularly with all of its asphalt, will break the ecology and affect one of the few places of recharge of the aquifers. This will impact the entire city in a serious way for generations.

Sustainable, just, and real solutions

In the recent World Mayors Council on Climate Change that happened in Mexico City, you affirmed the importance of cities in the fight against global warming, and mayors from over 100 cities of the world signed the Mexico City Pact to commit to the reduction of greenhouse gases. We ask for your leadership in the world in this critical fight for the earth.

Global warming cannot be combated while expanding urban highways that cause more automobiles on the roads and more emissions in the air. The Superhighway project must be stopped and sustainable alternatives for mobility must be implemented, including real alternatives to the automobile and solutions for public transportation.

Dialogue must happen with communities in order to create just solutions with the aim of building a society that protects the earth and the human rights of the inhabitants, instead of protecting the interests of corporations like OHL and COPRI. Real solutions to climate change come from the communities, not from the corporations.

In our communities we also work for sustainable, just, and real solutions to grave problems like global warming, environmental destruction, and human rights violations. We are against the project of the Superhighway because we see that it has serious consequences in terms of human rights and environmental impacts. We support our brothers and sisters in Mexico City who are working for their community and the earth in this struggle against the oppressive project of the Superhighway.

Specifically, we support the demands of the Broad Front against the Western Superhighway and in Defense of the Environment: the immediate departure of the security forces from La Malinche and La Loma, the immediate suspension of all activity related to the construction of the Superhighway, compliance with all of the terms of the 1/2011 Recommendation issued by the Humans Rights Commission of the Federal District, and a true and serious dialogue between you and the community. We await your response to the community.

Sincerely,

Advocates for Environmental Human Rights
Louisiana, United States

Black Workers for Justice
North Carolina, United States

CAAAV: Organizing Asian Communities
New York, United States

Coal River Mountain Watch
West Virginia, United States

Direct Action for Rights and Equality / Acción Directa por los Derechos e Igualdad
Rhode Island, United States

Grassroots Global Justice Alliance / La Alianza Popular para la Justicia Global
California, United States

Grassroots International
Massachusetts, United States

Just Transition Alliance
California, United States

Kentuckians for the Commonwealth
Kentucky, United States

Labor/Community Strategy Center / Centro de Estrategia Laboral/Comunitario
California, United States

Little Village Environmental Justice Organization / La Villita Organización de Justicia Ambiental
Illinois, United States

Mountain Justice
Central Appalachia, United States

Movement Generation
California, United States

National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights / La Red Nacional Pro Derechos Inmigrantes y Refugiados
California, United States

North Gulfport Community Land Trust
Mississippi, United States

Ontario Public Interest Research Group – Ottawa
Ontario, Canada

Oregon Fair Trade Campaign
Oregon, United States

People Organized to Win Employment Rights / Pueblo Organizado para Demandar Derechos de Empleo
California, United States

The Polaris Institute
Ontario, Canada

Portland Central America Solidarity Committee
Oregon, United States

Public Interest Alberta
Alberta, Canada

Rhode Island Jobs with Justice / Trabajos con Justicia de Rhode Island
Rhode Island, United States

Southwest Workers Union / La Union de Trabajador@s del Suroeste
Texas, United States

Student Association of International Development and Globalization of the University of Ottawa
Ontario, Canada

WhyHunger
New York, United States

Denise Perry, Community organizer
Florida, United States

Khanh Pham, VietUnity
California, United States

Ryan Van Lenning, Independent journalist
California, United States
http://narconews.com/Issue67/article4323.html

A new study from the Climate Justice Project proposes a very significant increase in the carbon tax to pay for measures including improved transit and transfers in improve equality:

Fix carbon tax by ending corporate tax breaks, using revenues for climate action and new tax credit: study
BC Office | News Release
Issue(s): Environment and sustainability, Taxes and tax cuts
Projects & Initiatives: Climate Justice Project
February 23, 2011

(Vancouver) A new study from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives and Sierra Club BC calls on the provincial government to scale up BC's carbon tax, and makes a number of recommendations to make the tax more effective and fair.

“As currently structured, the BC carbon tax is increasing social inequality, while squandering revenues on expensive corporate income tax cuts," explains Marc Lee, senior economist at the CCPA and author of Fair and Effective Carbon Pricing: Lessons from BC. “But in my view it can be fixed, and has the potential to be transformational for BC in the fight against climate change.”

A carbon tax makes it more expensive to emit greenhouse gases, but revenues should be used to accelerate climate action, says the report. Public transit, energy efficiency, forest conservation and green job creation are investments that need to be funded from carbon tax revenues.

The study finds that once tax cuts and credits are figured in, the carbon tax as currently structured has a negative impact on low-income British Columbians, while providing a net benefit to the highest-income households, which are, ironically, also the biggest greenhouse gas emitters.

This is largely due to a growing share of carbon tax revenues going to corporate income tax cuts, which will total $1 billion in 2012/13 – equal to two-thirds of revenues (compared to only one-third when the carbon tax was introduced). The BC carbon tax is currently “revenue-negative” – costing the treasury more than it collects – due to escalating corporate income tax cuts.

"The wealthiest households in BC get more back in tax cuts than they pay in carbon tax," says George Heyman, Executive Director of the Sierra Club of BC. "That is unfair, and needs to be reversed if the carbon tax is to increase."

Lee recommends that the provincial government rethink how carbon tax revenues are spent, calling for half of revenues to support climate action, and the other half to go towards a new refundable tax credit aimed at low- to middle-income households to ensure households are not adversely affected.

“How the revenues are spent is critical to a fair outcome,” says Lee. “A new round of climate action must scale up the carbon tax in way that is effective and equitable.”
The report also looks at other BC carbon pricing initiatives such as the commitment to carbon neutral government and the Western Climate Initiative. It makes ten recommendations for more equitable and effective carbon pricing in BC, including:

* The carbon tax should be raised to $200 per tonne by 2020, a level that would see BC’s gas prices in 2010 match those that prevail in Europe today;
* Loopholes that allow major industrial polluters to avoid paying the carbon tax need to be closed; and
* Requirements that public sector institutions purchase offsets are eating into needed public services, and should be rescinded.

-30-

Fair and Effective Carbon Pricing: Lessons from BC is available at www.policyalternatives.ca/carbonpricing

Imagine… a working carbon tax for BC, a slideshow based on the study, can be viewed at: www.policyalternatives.ca/workingcarbontax

For more information or to arrange an interview with Marc Lee, contact Sarah Leavitt at 604-801-5121 x233 or sarah@policyalternatives.ca.

 
Gunderson Slough - photos by Wanderin' Wheeta

On Wednesday February 16, I attended a meeting of the new North Delta Harbour Association – formed by the residents of Gunderson Slough – on the invitation of a friend who lives there. Sources indicate this as the site of BC's first cannery in 1870. Today it's an integral part of North Delta's historic Annieville neighbourhood, populated by fishermen and others who live and work on the Fraser River.

The South Fraser Perimeter Road freeway threatens to cut Gunderson Slough off from the community completely. There could be no free access of any kind by land to any other part of the neighbourhood or city, including food stores. An overpass was initially indicated for Elevator Road near Gunderson Slough, but the nearest reputed access at this time would be almost 3 kilometers away at Tannery Road, reportedly through Homeland Security-style screening gates at Fraser Surrey Docks.

The residents of the slough formed the Association to advocate for better treatment from Gateway, as well as from their landlord: Port Metro Vancouver. Three reps from Port Metro attended the meeting, and for the most part avoided giving direct answers to the many pointed questions. However, certain candid statements made by one of them about the SFPR are still sinking in.

In front of about 50 angry residents in the meeting room at George Mackie Library in Delta, Port Metro Vancouver Communications Adviser Sarah McPherson repeatedly stated the reason that neither she, nor anyone, can provide answers as to just what is happening with the SFPR in that area.

She said it's because the whole thing is in a state of limbo due to the BC Liberal leadership race.

I'll leave it up to you to try and parse out exactly what the implications of that are.

For me it raises any number of important questions, such as:

Why does it matter who the leader is? If this boondoggle is indeed the "done deal" they claim it to be, it should have been well out of the Premier's hands many months ago. Has it become so controversial, and remain so politicized, that the fate of an access road for a fishing village needs to be cleared at the highest levels of government? Are they so afraid of sparking yet another direct action or angry community group?

Is it too much of a hot potato for the leadership candidates to handle? Or is the provincial government simply running out of money, which puts the SFPR on shaky ground, ripe to be canceled on the other side of the leadership vote? Whatever the case, given the lack of certainty about the future of the project, why are public lands with endangered habitat being logged while a federal lawsuit challenging its very legality also hangs in the balance?

The people of Gunderson Slough would certainly like to know. They face an uncertain future even if the SFPR were to be canceled. Port Metro has been refusing to grant anything but short-term renewals to the many long-term leasers of the slough, and not re-leasing vacated lots. This puts a huge question mark over the future of the area, and drives down the value of existing leases and buildings.

In the agenda circulated at the meeting, the besieged residents of the slough describe themselves as "not corporate minded" and remind Port Metro staff to "respect the individuality of each property." Given the kind of massive industrial expansions apparently favoured by the Port, it seems unlikely that they intend to offer this kind of support to the community without a fight.

 
SFPR clearcutting in Annieville, and a container farm in neighbouring Sunbury

The steep slopes above the slough are being clearcut by SFPR crews, and silting up the river. Mudslides onto the existing train tracks around there are not unheard of.

This is the fossil fueled future of the region as envisioned by Gateway and the Port: denuded of colour and character, the banks of the mighty Fraser bled lifeless and paved over. A diverse network of neighbourhoods and ecosystems converted to a concrete landscape, fit only to carry the maximum possible number of identical shipping containers from somewhere far away to somewhere else far away.

If this is not the future you want, and you've decided that enough is enough, it's time to stand with the community. It's time to fight back and Join the Wave Against the Pave! on April 22. We have the initiative; the SFPR is on shaky ground. This movement has been steadily gaining momentum for over a year. Let's make a stand together and create an environmentally and socially just future for our region.

Kendale Creek at Gunderson Slough

This video if of Matthew Laird of New Westminster Environmental Partners, and the response from New Westminster Council.

According to New Westminster Councilor Bob Osterman, "There is now such a significant resident rage at traffic . . . our town is on the cusp of just literally boiling over". (At about 17:30)

Councilors went on to emphasize that they understand that you can't build your way out of congestion with wider roads, and are not going to back down to pressure to approve the UBE part of the North Fraser Perimeter Road without their conditions being met. New West is now going creating a new master transportation plan, it should make for some very interesting consultation sessions.

This is a long video at 26 minutes, but is worth watching if you want a clearer understanding of why the Gateway freeway megaproject has ground to a halt in New West.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f628URwQkrg

Map of Gateway Program projects.
February 15, 2011

Eric Doherty.

Until recently, the Gateway freeway megaproject looked unstoppable. Work is continuing on the $3-billion Highway 1 widening, which includes the replacement for the Port Mann Bridge, slated to be Canada’s widest bridge. Despite legal action by the Burns Bog Conservation Society, logging for the $2-billion South Fraser Perimeter Road freeway continues in Surrey and Delta.

But the Gateway Program has ground to a halt in New Westminster due to citizen activism combined with the provincial budget squeeze. Two interconnected parts of the Gateway project were planned for New West:

See full text, links and comments at http://www.straight.com/article-374636/vancouver/eric-doherty-gateway-programs-blacktop-politics-pushed-back-new-westminster

This from the Surrey Now:

They're staging a "Force to Move" sale Sunday in the Bridgeview area of Surrey to protest the eviction of wildlife.

The South Fraser Perimeter Road is to blame, say organizers of the event.

The highway is being built in the area despite legal action launched by Burns Bog Conservation Society to stop construction.

Read more: http://www.thenownewspaper.com/Forced+Move+sale+protests+highway+work+Bridgeview/4267216/story.html#ixzz1Dn1hE3Gy

Note that the article incorrectly lists the sale as happening today. It is in fact happening tomorrow. Here is the correct time and location:

Best Buys and Bargains to Benefit the Bog
Sunday, February 13 · 7:00am - 3:00pm
11475 - 126A Street
Surrey, BC
(map link)

More details here.

John Kurucz of the Coquitlam NOW newspaper has pointed out, with some fine use of irony, the problem with many of our politicians. They refuse to set priorities.

Like this cartoon? Get the book here http://greenberg-art.com/BOOK.html

This is something that parents try hard to teach their children, you can`t buy everything in the store for $5. But why can`t our politicians see how childish it is to not set clear priorities, and push for what is important?

My question to Coquitlam Council and residents is, do you want the Evergreen Line enough to set other priorities aside?

Coquitlam wants connector

By John Kurucz, Coquitlam NOW February 11, 2011

Sure, we'd like to get going on the Murray-Clarke Connector. And while you're at it, throw in some money for the North Fraser Perimeter Road project as well -- and don't forget the Evergreen Line either.

That was the message coming out of Coquitlam City Hall Monday, as council voted to send a message to the province and TransLink to free up funds for a number of transportation projects in the northeast sector.

Read more: http://www.burnabynow.com/news/Coquitlam+wants+connector/4264203/story.html#ixzz1DfsiADoE

Photo: The New Westminster Rail Bridge was built in 1904, decades before the relatively modern Pattullo Bridge.

Bond defends rethink of need for new Pattullo Bridge

By Jeff Nagel - BC Local News
Published: February 09, 2011 5:00 PM

Transportation minister Shirley Bond is defending a move to consider fixing up the antiquated Pattullo Bridge rather than tearing it down and building a replacement.

[snip]

Past studies looked at options like adding a median barrier and banning trucks or reducing the Pattullo to three lanes with a counterflow, like the Lions Gate Bridge.

[snip]

Some critics are happy the bridge building plan is on hold and may be scrapped.

Freeway expansion opponent Eric Doherty, of the group Gateway Sucks, called it great news.

"This is a case of misplaced priorities," he said. "We can't be expected to spend a billion dollars on a new bridge that's not really needed when there isn't enough money to do the Evergreen Line or rapid transit on King George (Boulevard) in Surrey."

Doherty said it's been unclear so far how a six-lane Pattullo replacement was going to work on the New Westminster side without demolishing houses to punch through new lanes.

He said any delay on the Pattullo will give more opportunity to reconsider the related North Fraser Perimeter Road and United Boulevard extension that he said are opposed by significant numbers of New Westminster residents.

http://www.bclocalnews.com/greater_vancouver/newwestminsternewsleader/news/115683984.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49f_sQ9Sfa0

Audio file of New Westminster City Council discussing the province's proposal to push the North Fraser Perimeter Road (NFPR) through New West on Feb 7 2011. The North Fraser Perimeter Road is part of the provincial Gateway Program freeway megaproject, and the Translink board is appointed via the provincial cabinet with no representation from local governments.

Local groups including New Westminster Environmental Partners http://www.nwep.ca/ have been very active in supporting sustainable transportation options instead of roadway expansions.

More good news on the Gateway freeway front. The plan to replace the Pattullo Bridge with a six lane freeway bridge (to connect the North and South Fraser Perimeter Roads) is now on hold.

Perhaps $100+ a barrel oil has led to the folks in Victoria realizing that it is 2011 not 1951.

Now is the time for a complete re-think of transportation planning in the region.

By Jeff Nagel - BC Local News
Published: February 08, 2011 10:00 AM

The aging Pattullo Bridge might be refurbished rather than rebuilt in order to save money and avoid a controversial decision to charge tolls on it.

Despite TransLink's 2008 decision to build a new six-lane bridge, the provincial government has ordered a pause in design work while its own engineers consider whether a fix-up might suffice instead.

"The province wanted to come in and look at other options potentially for rehabilitating and expanding the existing structure, as opposed to building a new one," said TransLink spokesman Ken Hardie
http://www.bclocalnews.com/news/115577059.html

If you have hiked along the South Fraser Witness Trail, you know what a beautiful place it is. It has now become a lot less beautiful as a systematic efforts proceeds to displace the endangered species such as Pacific Water Shrew and Red Legged Frogs, and trash their habitat.

We went for a hike on February 6 along the trail to see how much still remains, and how much the provincial government has trashed for the South Fraser Perimeter Road (SFPR) freeway. See below for the video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bt47MR15xi8

Photo: The black plastic is used as a barrier while displacing the endangered species, then the habitat is trashed with heavy machinery.

Also see a great blog post about this hike at http://outonthebiglimb.blogspot.com/2011/02/on-trail-of-truth.html

Photo: One of the Western Red Cedar trees cut along the Witness Trail

Group Hike on the South Fraser Witness Trail!

The South Fraser Witness Trail follows the route of the proposed South Fraser Perimeter 'Road' freeway through an urban forest in Surrey. Named as one of the city's five major natural area hubs in a recent study, it is home to deer, beavers, herons, owls, salmon, and endangered species such as the Red legged frog and Pacific water shrew.

Now the provincial government is starting to log the easily accessible sections of the South Fraser Freeway route, including at the west trailhead of the Witness trail. Come on the hike to see what is at stake if the South Fraser Freeway gets built, and find out what we can still do to stop it and other freeways in the region.

When: Sunday February 6, 1:15 pm
Where: 168 St. & 108 Ave. in Surrey (meet at bus stop - map: http://bit.ly/aXEEZG)

(The C74 bus runs direct to this location from Surrey Central Skytrain. Just get on the bus at 12:47 pm at Bay 12 under the tracks [not in the bus loop], and ask the driver to let you off at 168 St. & 108 Ave.)

The trail includes rugged sections. Bring drinking water, a snack, and water resistant footwear. The hike will proceed rain or shine and will only be cancelled in case of high winds or dangerous conditions. For more info call 604 588 4203 (including day of) or email witnesstrail@gmail.com

More info including trail map and brochure at http://gatewaysucks.org/trail

April 22 - Join the Wave Against the Pave! Save the Date(s) and Mother Earth.

As chainsaws roar and bulldozers get set to roll on the controversial $2 billion South Fraser Perimeter Road freeway (SFPR), join local residents and community groups in standing up for climate justice on International Mother Earth Day! Last October, hundreds of people dug up the freeway construction site in Surrey with shovels and wheelbarrows, in December we used sand from the SFPR to build a dike blocking the provincial cabinet offices.

Now it's time to continue the campaign of mass direct action against climate crime. Beginning on the 2nd International Mother Earth Day, Friday April 22, 2011 (Easter Friday), we will be holding a mass direct action for climate justice somewhere on the route of the South Fraser Freeway. The action(s) may continue over multiple days during this long weekend. The action(s) may continue over multiple days during this long weekend. More details and organizing meetings will be announced soon.

Delta BC January 31 2011.

Port Metro Vancouver is back on its expansion bandwagon, announcing today a Container Capacity Improvement Program. They would have us believe that the 2010 container volume growth is justification to re-open the case for another container terminal at Roberts Bank in Delta.

Against Port Expansion (APE) – a Delta BC based Community Group - is firmly opposed to any further container port development on Roberts Bank. Why risk the destruction of one of the most important wetlands on the west coast of North America? Roberts Bank is a major stopover point on the Pacific Flyway and a critical feeding area for millions of shorebirds. Not only that but light pollution from the existing Deltaport is already causing problems – for wildlife as well as for the residents in Delta. Add to that the diesel pollution and noise from the ships, trains and trucks, the threats to wildlife (including the endangered Orca Whales), and it is clear that there should be no further industrial development allowed on Roberts Bank.

Canada does not need the Roberts Bank Terminal 2 Container Port – now or any time in the foreseeable future. “With the container volume growth experienced by Port Metro Vancouver in 2010 they only handled about the same volume of containers as in 2007” stated Roger Emsley, Executive Director, Against Port Expansion Community Group. “Even if Port Metro Vancouver manages a steady annual growth of say 5 percent, (which could be lower with possible losses for ships diverting via the Suez and Panama Canals straight to East Coast ports) then by the year 2020 Port Metro Vancouver may still handle less than 4 million TEUs annually” he further commented.

In 2010 Port Metro Vancouver handled 2.514 mill. TEUs (twenty foot equivalent container units). This was only a slight increase (0.75%) from 2007. However in the meantime not only has Port Metro Vancouver increased capacity at Deltaport by 50 percent, but Prince Rupert also opened its container port. Taken together therefore all of British Columbia’s container ports have capacity to handle container volumes for many years to come. With even small productivity improvements the BC West Coast could well have container port capacity of 7 million or more TEUs by the year 2020 – WITHOUT BUILDING ROBERTS BANK TERMINAL 2.

Enough is enough! We do not need or want any further port expansion in Delta. APE is ready to fight. We call on residents of Delta, our Mayor and Council, our MLA and our MP to join us in opposing a second container terminal at Roberts Bank.

About APE: Against Port Expansion in Delta is a group of concerned citizens who recognize that plans for container terminal expansion on Roberts Bank will see the degradation of the quality of life for thousands of Lower Mainland residents; the industrialization of prime agricultural land; and the loss of globally-significant habitat for salmon, migrating birds and orca whales. It is a broad based community group from various backgrounds. For more information visit www.againstportexpansion.org or email: ape.info@dccnet.com