WHAT'S NEW

So the Provincial election is 8 months away...the Libs are determined to keep Gateway on the downlow til after the election, so they can start paving away to their hearts content as soon as they are safely re-elected.

BUT! What is the worst thing that could happen, to spoil their diabolical plans? Yes! Unrest South of the Fraser, in Falcon's very heartland...with no less than Surrey Mayor Diane Watts questioning the wisdom of twinning the Port Mann Bridge! Egad! This is VERY bad news for our Kevin, who needs solid support from Surrey municipal politicians. Soft or conditional support is not going to help him find the extra $1+ billion he needs to cover the overruns on Highway 1 / Port Mann alone, never mind the hundreds of millions for his trucking freeway along the Fraser.

For real! Check it out:
Sept. 13 Tri-City News: Surrey Mayor Watts queries bridge twinning assumptions
http://www.bclocalnews.com/tri_city_maple_ridge/tricitynews/news/2831909...

Time for a pre-emptive strike from the Big Guns by way of their hired toadie Jordan Bateman, spokespuppet for the Gateway astroturf (faux-grassroots) group GetPavingBC -- oops, that's GetMovingBC -- fearmongering on the front cover of today's Province:

Sept. 15 The Province: 'Total gridlock' without more bridges
http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/story.html?id=ba3e777f-1ce8-4149-...

They are pounding that same tired old drum, pitting north-of-fraser against south, claiming that, as Falcon told Donna Passmore when she voiced her concerns, "oh Donna, you're the only person south of the Fraser who feels this way."

DON'T LET THE BASTARDS GET AWAY WITH IT!!

WRITE a brief letter to the Province RIGHT NOW, telling them WE DON'T WANT MORE TRUCKIN' FREEWAYS!

WRITE to Surrey Mayor Diane Watts or call her at 604.591.4126, and tell her you stand behind her -- put the the brakes on Gateway!t

No matter where you live, but especially if you live souh of the Fraser -- let your voice be heard! They are running scared, and Gateway is trembling at the knees...now is the time, lets bring that sucker down.

See you all at the BIG RALLY on Saturday Sept 27...it's gonna be fun. (see www.gatewaytowhat.org for details or contact ben@wildernesscommittee.org). Let us know if you want to help out.

P.S. for the background on GetMovingBC check out:
http://www.straight.com/article-88546/liberals-accused-of-astroturfing

Help Stop the "Gateway to Global Warming"

OUR ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES TAKE YOUR LETTERS VERY SERIOUSLY! They are an indication of where the public will lies...and how people will vote a year from now.
Our Environment Minister in BC may be close to signing the environmental certification for the Gateway mega -project.

Monday May 12th at 7pm
Delta Municipal Hall (take #601 bus from Burrard Skytrain Stn)

Who would have thought this East Van gal would be spending so much time in Delta and Surrey? Well let me tell you, all that time on the SkyTrain is paying off. Bridgeview, Bolivar Heights, Sunbury, South Delta -- this is where the real Gateway battle lies now. And our compadres south of the Fraser are fighting like demons.

At the "Spirit of Delta" rally this Saturday, hundreds lined up in the pouring rain to sign anti-Gateway petitions...OVER 1500 PEOPLE SIGNED THE PETITION! And tomorrow...Monday...Delta council will consider staff recommendations to extend the environmental review process and DELAY THE DELTA PORT EXPANSION BY 5 YEARS.

I have just joined the Wilderness Committee, taking on the new position of "Healthy Communities Campaigner" (as a job-share with the amazing Ben West). It's such an honour to work side by side with so many of my heroes -- Andrea Reimer, Joe Foy, Ben, and so many others.

Last week we scored a huge victory against the Upper Pitt River private power project, defeating a seven-headed dragon that a year ago, everyone said was "a done deal." Of course "we" isn't just the WC...it's a massive network of groups and individuals, with a wide diversity of perspectives. My own role in the Pitt River campaign was to hand out the sandwiches on the bus. Someone else put the mayo on the sandwiches, and someone else booked the bus. But together, we did it. Next up, is Gateway...

A gang of ruthless global corporate yakuza fronted by the evil Falcon are out to DESTROY DEMOCRACY! Can the Deadly Viper Highway Assassination Squad, in league with hundreds of thousands of angry citizens and one raging granny, save the day?!

A Rally and SkyTrain Joyride
featuring fiery speakers and kick-ass entertainment!

Canada Place (near Waterfront SkyTrain Stn)
Wednesday November 21, 4:30 PM

BC Minister of Transportation Kevin Falcon is about to try to ram through Bill 43, which would take TransLink out of the hands of our municipally elected representatives, privatize it, and hand it over to a corporate board of control. Bill 43 will destroy democratic accountability at TransLink.
...

by Guy Dauncey
Common Ground Magazine, September 2007

What do we want? THE GREENWAY!    How will we get it? OUR WAY!    When do we want it? NOW!

Those were the words that resounded in the mind of defeated Cabinet Minister Kip Sparrow as he tossed and turned in his bed on a hot 35 ºC summer’s night in June 2009, wondering where it all went wrong...

The Vancouver Province Editorial page featured this cartoon -- in reference to Kevin's introduction of a "green" fleet of hybrid taxicabs. 

(In case you haven't studied the map, the South Fraser Perimeter Road is a key chunk of Gateway which would destroy some of the finest farmland in Surrey and Delta.

Vancouver Sun: Gateway project will impact air quality
Vancouver Sun: Tory MP's demand: Halt Gateway, study impact
The Toronto Star: All worked up over new roads, bridges for Vancouver area
30 Days of Sustainability interviews Carmen Mills of Gatewaysucks.org
The Province: "Roads and bridges aren't the only things needed...:
The Globe and Mail: Campbell's expansion plans at odds with going green