How many New Democrats does it take to save a tree?

A good question isn't it, but I think that the real joke here is in the absence of a punchline (or any answer at all). The truth is that when it comes to an NDP environmental strategy not much has really changed since Glen Clark decried environmentalists as "enemies of British Columbia".

Federal NDP... provincial NDP, take your pick but it really doesn't matter that much as both NDP representatives for Vancouver-Hastings and Vancouver-East (Shane Simpson and Libby Davies respectively) are equally shallow in their criticism of the BC Liberals environmental strategy and both have demonstrated a complete lack of productive solutions to a problem that I for one, take very seriously.

Our own BC NDP Environment Critic Shane Simpson is so confused by his backward left of center ideology that he refuses to even consider the benefits of environmentally sustainable energy sources (like run-of-the-river) as long as that power is owned by private companies. But I'll leave Shane alone for now as the real focus of this particular entry goes a little further east to East Vancouver's "Queen of Junk Mail" Libby Davies.

Earlier this week I came home to find the latest, hot off the press issue of the Vancouver East Community Bulletin, a 16 page multi-lingual quarterly reminder to the fine people of East Vancouver of all the great things that our federal NDP representative, Libby Davies has done to make our lives better. This comes to us in addition to the monthly and at times several times monthly newsletters and updates that Libby likes to send out. This also comes despite my email several months ago asking her to stop sending them and after I stapled all 5 identical newsletters that came addressed to my house together and returned them to sender. (interestingly enough the staple must have failed in the mail and two of the newsletters were re-delivered to my house).

Libby Davies is killing tree's at a furious pace in order to feed her junk mail habit. I haven't received this much mail from any other political figure before...even during an election! But big deal you say! Maybe its recycled paper, maybe not but despite the electronic mediums like email lots of people still send junk mail. Right? This may be so but still there is something unsettling about a 16 page leaflet that outlines the NDP environment strategy" on page 11.

Libby Davies, like Carole James, Shane Simpson and a few others is opposed to the BC Liberals Gateway Program. No surprised here! In her bulletin she tells us of the 5 forums that's she's hosted in East Vancouver and how hundreds of us have told her that we are also against Gateway, primarily because of the environmental impact that the project supposedly brings with it.

Hundreds!!

I don't have a problem with people that oppose a project like Gateway and I think its great that people ask questions of our government and the decisions that it makes everyday on our behalf. The problem that I do have with Libby's (et al) stance on Gateway (her own environmental hypocrisy notwithstanding) is that it appears to be torn out of the same old play book as the BC NDP, SPEC and a few others. Lots of criticism and virtually no reasonable alternatives. Investing in sustainable transportation, public transportation and the efficient use of existing roads and rail are all great ideas for sure, but the trouble is that none of these come close to addressing the current problem of the Port Mann bridge and the bottleneck that it creates for almost 13 hours every single day.

Unfortunately Libby, like her fellow NDP opponents can't seem to see the project beyond the twinning of the Port Mann and the adding of a single lane on each side of the freeway. A lane I might add that can be equally served by buses, hybrids and other alternative energy vehicles. One lane is hardly massive expansion as the critics would have us believe. Unfortunately Libby and those of like thinking don't see the environmental problem (among the other problems) of sitting idle in traffic for several hours each day. Unfortunately Libby, Carole, Shane and those like them probably don't get out to Surrey, Langley, Abbotsford, Chilliwack etc. that often so they likely haven't experienced this grid-lock first hand. Unfortunately it doesn't appear as though Libby has talked to anyone that does make this trip on a regular basis (people like my co-worker who car pools from Chilliwack to North Vancouver with 3 other guys 5 days per week).

Unfortunately Libby Davies and those of like mind don't see the provinces Gateway Program as an opportunity to expand and offer more transportation choices like buses on the Port Mann bridge, light rail, cycling and yes cars.

Fortunately we know better.

Hopefully Libby will soon see the relationship between her own junk mail habit and the points that her party raises in its environmental strategy.