BURNS BOG: Farmers, environmentalists slam realigning plan for perimeter road
THE FRASER VALLEY
Brian Lewis
With apologies to Laurel and Hardy, is the B.C. government about to find itself in another nice mess?
It’s trying to extricate itself from the first mess — routing the proposed $1billion South Fraser Perimeter Road uncomfortably close to Burns Bog — by realigning part of the freeway slightly west and farther from the environmentally sensitive bog.
But this would place parts of the fourlane, 40-kilometre truck freeway over more productive farmland, warns the Delta Farmers Institute.
“We’re not impressed, because they’re talking about moving it from the east side of Crescent Slough to the west side — and that’s where we produce organic food,” says Delta Farmers Institute president John Savage.
“We’re also opposed to the entire road because it just doesn’t make sense to keep eating up Delta farmland. If we keep doing this, food prices are only going to increase for consumers.”
Even those who oppose the freeway solely on Burns Bog issues say realignment won’t help.
“All they’re doing here is a little window-dressing, but they’re not addressing the bigger issues of circling and strangling the bog with the SFPR,” says Eliza Olson, president of the Burns Bog Conservation Society.
Victoria is contemplating some realignment of the SFPR in response to extremely negative comments from both the local agricultural and environmental communities.
It’s also faced with significant criticism from Environment Canada, which earlier this year said in a report that even remedial work contemplated by the B.C. government won’t protect Burns Bog, which is often described as “the lungs of the Lower Mainland” for its ability to offset climate change.
However, a B.C. Ministry of Transportation spokeswoman would only confirm yesterday that some SFPR realignment is under consideration. She declined to give details.
The Delta Farmers Institute is also appealing to John Cummings, the Conservative MP for Delta Richmond East, and through him to five federal cabinet ministers, including Environment Minister John Baird and International Trade/Gateway Minister David Emerson.
“Recently, we have been informed that Environment Canada has been pushing the provincial Gateway Program to intrude farther into prime agricultural land to appease proponents of Burns Bog,” their April 11 letter said.
“This push on to cultivated agricultural land within the municipality of Delta will result in the loss of a critical mass of prime farmland for several farmers in the area.”
In Ottawa yesterday, Cummins said he’ll raise the issue with the appropriate federal ministers.
But the outspoken MP also slammed the B.C. government for ignoring the availability of alternative truck routes to serve Deltaport and for not considering other ways to move containers.
“I don’t know why moving containers takes precedence over farmland and the quality of life in Delta,” he says.
“I’m willing to bet, with the growth of other B.C. ports like Prince Rupert, that port growth in Greater Vancouver is not going to materialize. I believe with the SFPR that we’re building a white elephant.”
And on Premier Gordon Campbell’s projected image as a “green premier,” Cummins had this to say:
“He not green Gordon, he’s grey Gordon, because all he is creating in Delta is smog.”
If you have a story idea or noteworthy item about anything in the Fraser Valley, e-mail Brian via
blewis@png.canwest.com
