Council chapter activists protest the proposed Massey Bridge, Richmond, Jan. 26.
The Council of Canadians Delta-Richmond chapter protested against the ‘George Massey Tunnel Replacement Project’ on Jan. 27 outside an open house in Ladner hosted by the British Columbia government, which is backing the bridge proposal. The chapter is opposed to the plan to replace the 4-lane George Massey Tunnel with the 10-lane Massey Bridge.
The Delta Optimist quotes Delta-Richmond chapter activist Cathy Wilander who says, “The bridge is not a done deal and there’s resistance to it and $3.5 billion is a lot of money to spend for something that’s not needed. One of [our] concerns, not just the money, is what’s going to happen to the Fraser estuary.” Wilander raises that point because if the tunnel were to be removed it would mean a free flow and salt water from the ocean could be pushed further up the river. This would impact on farmers who depend on the river for irrigation. More on that here.
The Delta-Richmond and Vancouver-Burnaby chapters also protested outside a government open house in Richmond the evening before.
Their concerns also include the additional greenhouse gas emissions that come with adding more space for cars, the government’s lack of commitment to public transit alternatives, and the loss of prime agricultural land to build the bridge.
Vancouver-Burnaby chapter activist Eric Doherty has written, “The federal Liberals ‘historic infrastructure plan’ acknowledges that infrastructure will need to be beefed up to deal with climate impacts such as flooding from more intense storms and rising sea levels. But when it comes to reducing the carbon pollution that threatens everything humans value, the plan is silent. And that leaves open a big door to provincial, municipal and regional governments getting billions in federal funds for projects that make the climate crisis worse. …Every dollar of public money spent on roadway expansion is a dollar spent to sabotage the Paris Climate agreement, and to push humanity towards truly catastrophic global warming. Let’s help Justin succeed in this tough work, by demanding that not one dollar of public infrastructure money go to increase carbon pollution.”
To read more of Doherty’s analysis, please see his Will Trudeau’s infrastructure plan worsen the climate crisis? op-ed published in the Vancouver Sun.
