leeside tunnel

Next week is the sentencing hearing for Dennis White who was convicted in November 2007 for the 2nd degree murder of 23 year old skateboarder and aspiring artist Lee Matasi.

Up until a couple of months ago I didn't know who Lee Matasi was. I'm actually a bit embarassed by this as it shows that I really don't know as much about the community as I'd like to. I was at a Board meeting of the Hastings Community Association late last year and I bought a pound of coffee beans to help support the Leeside Tunnel Project, a community effort to build a place for skateboarders, bmx'ers and mountain bikers to safely ride, huck, ollie and do whatever other tricks apply to their sport of choice. It sounded like just the thing that our community needed and something I was definitely interested in supporting.

The Leeside Tunnel passes under Hastings street between the East end of Pender and the Empire bowl. It belongs to the Ministry of Transportation and was originally built as a bus loop but the project was cancelled in the early 1990's. Not long after the tunnel became a popular hang-out for skateboarders, cyclists and artists and it also provides perfect pedestrian access for residents to get under Hastings to Empire Bowl, Hastings Park, the PNE and all of the other recreational opportunities within.


Leeside is named in memorium to Lee Matasi who was one of the original users of the tunnel and one of the many artists showcased on the tunnel walls. Matasi was shot and killed in December 2005 by Dennis White outside of the Red Room nightclub in Vancouver. White was sentenced last month.

Intrigued by the project and looking for a new short cut to the Second Narrows bridge, my son and I visited the tunnel for the first time today. When we got there we found a half dozen volunteers cleaning up and tearing down some old wooden ramps and hits to make room for newer concrete structures. It seems that even the skateboarding community isn't safe from vandals as a group had set a fire in the tunnel recently, not the first one as I understand. Leeside tunnel is rough, it needs work and it needs the support of the community but despite what the tunnel needs I was impressed with what I saw and with the level of dedication shown by the guys working there today. I think that this project is perfect for our community and its a perfect addition to the many recreational opportunities offered at Hastings Park (see my post "Save Hastings Park"). I also like the fact the Leeside has engaged the community in the project.

If you are interested in supporting the Leeside Tunnel Project I encourage you to visit their site (see the link on the right) and donate or, if you like coffee as much as I do you can show your support by purchasing some Leeside Tunnel Roast certified organic custom espresso blend. Visit Anti Social for details.