Jack Trovato was an NDP candidate in the 2015 federal election in the riding of Richmond Centre and is expected to run in the 2017 provincial election in the new Richmond-Queensborough riding
Some British Columbians still hold a small flicker of hope that Premier Christy Clark and the BC Liberals will, for once, put the welfare of its citizens ahead of big business — yet time and time again, this small flicker is extinguished by the actions of this supposedly (ahem) “liberal” government.
Once more, Premier Clark has shown who she represents and, unfortunately, it is not average British Columbians.
Thinly veiled as an initiative to address our traffic problems, the BC Liberal government has committed to build the largest bridge ever constructed in British Columbia.
However, a very superficial analysis of this mega project reveals that not only is the bridge economically and ecologically unwise, but it also will not address our traffic issues.
What will it accomplish?
The $3.5 billion, 10-lane, tolled, replacement bridge for the George Massey Tunnel would accommodate US thermal coal freighters and liquefied natural gas (LNG) supertankers on the South Arm of the Fraser River.
The old adage “follow the money” has never seemed more appropriate.
Notwithstanding, however, there is, admittedly, little doubt that the traffic congestion in this corridor of Highway 99 must be addressed. We do need to transport people and goods in a more efficient manner.
However, without an overall cohesive regional plan to reduce traffic gridlock and improve transit in the Greater Vancouver Regional District, this new bridge will simply move the bottleneck from one area to another.
Let us more thoroughly analyze why the cover story given by Premier Clark is completely bogus.
Firstly, there are far less intrusive means of addressing our traffic problems. For instance, the original plans to twin the George Massey Tunnel were completely disregarded with neither public input nor a reasonable explanation.
Not only would this initial option save taxpayers approximately $2.5 billion dollars, it would also be significantly less invasive to this ecologically sensitive area of the Fraser River estuary. Moreover, the $2.5 billion saved could be used for public education, health care, affordable housing, or improved public transit.
Secondly, over a decade ago, the B.C. Gateway Program Definition Report expressed concern that resolving the traffic issues at the George Massey Tunnel would only serve to move the congestion to other locations, particularly the North Arm of the Fraser River.
To make this remedy work, upgrades would also be needed at the Knight and Oak Street Bridges. However, the new plan to build this mega project fails to address these issues and, instead, the BC Liberal government insists that it would alleviate congestion in other areas.
All of a sudden, the concerns which hampered the George Massey Tunnel twinning project for over a decade are no longer valid.
Hmmm, curious, isn’t it?
Lastly, and perhaps most damaging, the Port of Vancouver made it clear during a series of (closed) discussions from 2012 to 2014 that in order for future dredging projects to transpire and accommodate supertankers carrying jet fuel and tanker ships designed to transport liquefied natural gas, both the removal of the George Massey Tunnel and the construction of an immense bridge would have to take place.
Lo and behold — guess what the BC Liberal government’s $3.5 billion project accomplishes?
It removes the tunnel and builds the high bridge, meeting both criteria for big non-renewable energy companies to move their products at the expense of our tax dollars and compromising the integrity of our local environment.
Simply put, what is seemingly at the heart of the matter is the industrialization of the Fraser River which will, ultimately, lead to more urban sprawl, environmental degradation of the Fraser River estuary, and further encroachment on agricultural land for industrial purposes.
Now, we must ask ourselves: what can we do to stop this gross abuse of power?
I urge each and every one of you to carefully consider the actions of Premier Christy Clark and the BC Liberal government, and ask yourself if they honestly represent you.
With the upcoming provincial election in less than 10 months, we must stand up and voice our concerns of this highly disingenuous and notoriously shady government, which is quite adept at political spin and repeatedly tells British Columbians that our wants, wishes, and desires are unimportant.
In a democratic society, government is supposed to represent its citizens and work for the common good of society.
Instead, ours exploits its citizens in order to represent the special interests of big businesses.
We need to take a stand and demand change. It is time to hold our politicians to account for their policies, initiatives, mandates, and question their true neo-liberal — hidden — corporate agenda.
