Vote Yes BC-STV - http://bc.demochoice.org/dcpies.php?poll=bc09srn Power up your vote! | http://www.stv.ca May 2009 Provincial Surrey Whalley Green Candidate In Surrey Whalley I am the only candidate who supports Tranist Now as opposed to proceeding with Gateway and the South Fraser Freeway and we are very directly impacted by these projects.
Endorsed by Mayoral Candidate Murray Weisenberger Launches Grassroots Initiative - Bus Stop Lawn Chairs - see Events Endorsed by Rail to the Valley as a Strong Candidate (Municipal) http://www.railforthevalley.com Stephen Rees in Bridgeview http://tinyurl.com/628vk4 Check out the Boxing Day Snowman Party - Pictures and Story Below A Voice for Surrey Hi Surrey Friends and Neighbors,
My name is Bernadette Keenan and I live in Bridgeview in North Surrey. I am listening and working for you. As your MLA, I will continue listening to local businesses, community groups and citizens and working for all of Surrey.
Let me share my background and experience:
Why am I running?
I'm Bernadette "No Trucking Freeway" Keenan, and I'm concerned about the South Fraser Freeway which will mean eight lanes of pavement half a block from our neighborhood school.
The definition of insanity is doing the same thing and expecting different results. In the past Freeway construction not relieved traffic congestion, it has only resulted in more congestion. Think of the Alex Fraser Bridge.
Let's stop the insanity, try something different, Transit First!
Funding for these transportation initiatives would only cost a few hundred million dollars, but in this shaky economic climate, the provincial government is starting to spend billions, that's thousands of millions of dollars on the Gateway Project and the South Fraser Freeway instead.
Studies show Gateway and the Freeway will cause:
- environmental destruction, - loss of waterfront access, - health problems and
Gateway and the South Fraser Freeway are economically irresponsible since building freeways comes with a high price tag and experience has shown it does not work. We will still have traffic congestion and the money needed for social programs like hospital expansion will all be spent.
Let's try Transit First!!! Transit expansion is being planned anyway, so why wait? Let's start with Transit First, the most economical option and then evaluate the need for the South Fraser Freeway and Gateway. We won't need them.
The money we save will free up tax dollars for other important social justice and environmental priorities:
- new hospitals and health care - schools and education - addiction treatment, - youth asset-building programs to reduce crime, - expanding daycares, - women's centers - poverty reduction and - waste management through recycling initiatives.
The land set aside for the Freeway could be developed with more sustainable development such as mixed use multi-family residential / commercial, affordable housing, community gardens, artist live work studios etc. Bridgeview would be Surrey's own Granville Island or Westminster Quay. Instead of money coming in one end of Surrey and going out the other on a "Trucking Freeway", money and financial benefits would come to Surrey to stay. Thank you for visiting my page and remember to Vote Yes for BC-STV.
For more about Gateway visit www.gatewaytowhat.org , http://www.gatewaysucks.org/ and www.badfreeway.com |
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Bernadette "No Trucking Freeway" Keenan, Surrey North '08 |
Freeway Come and the Snowmen Go.
Members of the Snow people who have been a presence in the South Fraser region of the Lower Mainland and North America for longer than recorded history, demonstrated on Boxing Day at the site of a temporary truck scale used by the contractors for the sand trucks dumping pre-load in preparation for construction of the South Fraser Freeway by erecting a symbolic snow barricade across the scale.
"This Freeway may mean the end of us" indicated the spokesperson Mr. Snowman " since it promotes climate change by increasing Greenhouse Gas Emissions from vehicles. We have grave concerns about our future existence and think we could ultimately be facing extinction. Even the Polar ice caps are melting in our traditional homelands the Arctic Regions."
The spokesperson pointed out that there were not representatives of the endangered species and displaced wildlife present at the demonstration because the ones not killed outright with the clear cutting of the trees and habitat destruction were frantically scrambling to find new homes and food sources in face of the relentless onslaught of the Freeway.
Finally Mr Snowman, expressed solidarity for those residents of the Bridgeview Neighborhood in North Surrey who received expropriation notices just before Christmas and who are scrambling through the holiday season to vacate their homes early in January. "The Government responsible for this Freeway is wrecking havoc with so many lives, destroying neighborhoods, and forcing people to leave homes they have lived in for decades... for no other apparent reason than greed and hopes of huge financial gain for private interests from increased industrialization of environmentally sensitive and unique waterfront." Then he drew attention to a couple of socks with lumpy toes (from rocks) that were labelled Kevin Falcon and Gordon Campbell, prime movers forcing this Freeway through despite all the concerns associated with it and the continuing opposition that has been expressed.
"That's all they deserve ... they are not nice." Mr. Snowman intoned sadly before joining in a protest song "Freeway come and the Snowmen go... climate changing. Freeway come and the Snowmen go... expropriation"
Bernadette "No Trucking Freeway" Keenan a Bridgeview resident who was in the vicinity for the excellent
sledding down the Patullo Bridge approach noted "I hope everyone who has concerns about the Freeway and construction of the Gateway project will get out and build snowmen while you still can, to show the government people care about reducing climate change and living more sustainably."
House Protection Action - Was a great success in terms of raising awareness. It was the last house standing... demolished now, but the Freeway is not a done deal. There will be other homes and lots more we can do.
http://gatewaysucks.org/
http://www.sendspace.com/file/yq9ouc
http://www.straight.com/article-205132/north-surrey-residents-vow-keep-fighting-south-fraser-perimeter-road
http://www.bclocalnews.com/surrey_area/surreyleader/news/40975669.html
http://www.theprovince.com/columnists/Gateway+mega+projects+running+into+opposition/1366878/story.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2IqLIU0Eh2E (starts 4 minutes in)
http://www.bclocalnews.com/surrey_area/surreyleader/news/40575768.html
http://www.straight.com/article-204017/gateway-protesters-blockade-surrey-home-be-demolished-south-fraser-perimeter-road
Provincial Campaign: off to a slow start, but check out the following videos and media
Tree Planting in the Freeway Route to Save Brad's Home http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLO-e5c0cfo&feature=email
Good Reasons to vote for BC-STV and to Not vote Liberal http://vimeo.com/4403328
Get Informed about Surrey Whalley andidates http://www.bclocalnews.com/surrey_area/surreyleader/news/election/44089172.html