Media advisory
Press conference
10 am Thursday, February 14
Spencer Road and the TransCanada Highway, Langford
Interview opportunities: Tree sitters, Eric Pelkey of the Sencoten Alliance, Zoe Blunt.
Plus action updates and a view of the destruction
Interchange overkill destroys more than forests
Dozens of police with high-powered rifles raided the tree sit camp before dawn yesterday in a disturbing show of force aimed at a handful of peaceful protestors who were all asleep. The massive attack by police had more than 50 RCMP officers -- many with assault rifles drawn and pointed at the campers -- surrounding the camp before dawn. In the end, only three people were taken into custody by police.
This level of aggressive overreaction characterizes the whole Bear Mountain project, from the resort to the interchange. Bulldozing public participation along with rare ecosystems and heritage sites is a hallmark of this process, and it destroys more than forests. Observers have noted the loan for the interchange project is not yet approved by the province, but the city is already clearing the land, no doubt to remove any possibility of a negotiated settlement.
The area is sealed off by police tape and RCMP patrols. Earth-moving equipment was trucked in and the destruction has begun. From Leigh Road, we could see trees on the ridge above falling to a feller buncher - a giant tree-cutting machine.
We also saw welding and rock-drilling equipment being moved in behind police lines. It's possible that one of Langford's first acts of destruction was to weld shut the entrance of the Langford Lake Cave.
First Nations people whose families traditionally used the caves have been turned away from the site and threatened with arrest for "trespassing" in the area, which is still marked on city maps as Leigh Park.
But the developers have not yet won. These acts have outraged the community, and more people are coming out to protest today and in the days to come. The first rally kicks off this afternoon at 5 pm at Spencer Road and the TransCanada Highway in Langford. Witnesses and eco-defenders will be maintaining a presence on the site all day.
Zoe Blunt
(250) 885-8219
ZoeBlunt@gmail.com
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Petition Organizers Question Langford Moving Ahead With Project Despite Concerns Of Thousands Of Langford Residents About Political Process
February 13, 2008
Langford
Langford has demonstrated a lack of respect towards its citizens and the democratic process.
On February 13, Langford officially began work on the Spencer Road Interchange by calling in a large police presence, reported to number over 50, along with Langford Bylaw Officers to forcibly remove the half a dozen tree-sitters and tear out trees at the end of Leigh Road. This despite the fact that over 2250 Langford citizens (more than 10% of eligible voters) signed a petition asking for a public referendum to approve the $25 million borrowing for the project, that the financing for the interchange has not been secured, and that the bylaws creating the agreement to build the Interchange have not yet been adopted by Langford City Council.
"Langford has not received approval from the province's Inspector of Municipalities to borrow the $25 million, and yet they talk and act like everything is all approved. It is not," says Cheryl McLachlan, who took part in the canvassing. "Additionally, after adopting the Spencer Road Interchange bylaw in late January, Council in early
February repealed it and introduced a new bylaw to replace it that they have not yet adopted. At this time, even Langford has not given final approval to the project."
Steven Hurdle, who organized the petition, questions the timing of today's events. Hurdle states: "The City has made no attempt to open a dialogue with the thousands of Langford residents who signed the petition, other than Deputy Mayor Denise Blackwell's suggestion that those citizens might not have understood what they were doing.
Langford Councillors brag about how many public meetings they've held about the project but, up until the poorly advertised December 27th, 2007 special meeting of the council, these were all about building the Spencer Road interchange and none were about borrowing $25 million dollars or the lack of a public approval process.
I believe the signatories knew exactly what they were doing and they deserve to be
respected for taking a stand; they signed not because they thought their taxes would immediately go up but because they are concerned and want a say in their community. Some of the signatories would vote in favour, but they want a chance to have their say in a referendum."
Petitioner Herman Surkis, noting the strong police presence in today's events, wondered "How much is this huge police action going to cost Langford taxpayers, and could those costs have been avoided with a more respectful and diplomatic process?"
For more information contact:
Steven Hurdle
Petition Organiser
steven.hurdle@gmail.com
250-884-0575
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