Controversy Over Vancouver 2010 Sea-To-Sky Highway Expansion

The party is almost over for Turin now that that the Paralympic Games are coming to an end, and now all eyes are looking to the next Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

There is already a major controversy over preparations for the 2010 Games – the expansion of the Sea-to-Sky Highway that connects Vancouver and Whistler, once called the Achilles heel of Vancouver’s 2010 bid.

It seems the new expansion will run through the scenic Eagleridge Bluffs, and according to Dennis Perry, President of the Coalition to Save Eagleridge Bluffs at Horseshoe Bay, a group opposing the freeway, two fragile ecosystems will be destroyed if it goes ahead – the Larsen Creek wetlands and an arbutus forest. Perry says the wetlands are home to two endangered species – the Red-legged Frog and the Alligator Lizard.

The Epoch Times quotes Perry as saying; “both of these ecosystems have been referred to in the Ministry of Transportation’s own reports as the most sensitive ecosystems on the entire Sea-to-Sky corridor from Horseshoe Bay to Whistler. Now they’re ignoring their own data”.

He says that alternatives such as widening the existing highway and building a four-lane divided tunnel underneath the land that includes Eagleridge Bluffs was rejected by the government. The Mayor and Council of West Vancouver, North Vancouver and the Greater Vancouver Regional District all support the tunnel option and oppose the overland highway.

Perry adds, “why would you to ignore sustainability and destroy all this when there are viable routes that don’t have a negative impact? This is just going to totally destroy the western portion of West Vancouver and destroy one of the busiest tourist spots in British Columbia”.

The Epoch Times reports according to a Ministry of Transportation release the overland highway was chosen over the tunnel because it will cost $40 million less and will be safer and cheaper to maintain.

Perry says his group will continue fighting for the tunnel.

Gwen Barlee, Policy Director for the Western Canada Wilderness Committee, says the habitat of one of the most threatened birds in Canada, the Northern Spotted Owl, is also “within the range of the Olympics” and by the government’s own estimation will be extinct by 2010. But she says no steps have been taken to protect the bird because the province of British Columbia doesn’t have any endangered species legislation.

Also due to global warming there’s a “real risk” that there won’t be enough snow for some events, says Barlee. But VANOC spokesperson Ailie Somerville says the committee’s contingency plans, if there is a lack of snow, include stockpiling snow in other areas and moving it to Games locations. Artificial snow, which weighs about five times more than real snow and requires millions of litres of water, will also be used if necessary.

Meanwhile Turin 2006 President Tiziana Nasi told Whistler-based Pique Newsmagazine that there has been a higher level of interest in the Turin Paralympic Games, which she called unexpected but very gratifying.

She said, “certainly the number of spectators, and athletes has increased since Salt Lake City. It is building for every Paralympic event. For one thing the tickets are a lot cheaper so people who maybe couldn’t afford to see Olympic events are coming out to watch Paralympics.

She added, “we’re hearing nothing but good things and I know a lot of people here for the Paralympics are already looking forward to Vancouver and Whistler four years from now”. Write or read comments about this article

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