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.

rule number 6...

Two prime ministers are sitting in a room discussing affairs of state. Suddenly a man bursts in, apoplectic with fury, shouting and stamping and banging his fist on the desk. The resident prime minister admonishes him: "Peter," he says, "kindly remember Rule Number 6," whereupon Peter is instantly restored to complete calm, apologizes and withdraws. The politicians return to their conversation, only to be interrupted yet again twenty minutes later by an hysterical woman gesticulating wildly, her hair flying. Again the intruder is greeted with the words: "Marie, please remember Rule Number 6." Complete calm descends once more, and she too withdraws with a bow and an apology. When the scene is repeated for a third time, the visiting prime minister addresses his colleague: "My dear friend, I've seen many things in my life, but never anything as remarkable as this. Would you be willing to share with me the secret of Rule Number 6?" "Very simple," replies the resident prime minister. "Rule Number 6 is "Don't take yourself so g-damn seriously." "Ah," says his visitor, "that is a fine rule." After a moment of pondering, he inquires, "And what, may I ask, are the other rules?" "There aren't any."

(The Art of Possibility by Rosamund and Benjamin Zander)

I'm not really sure how you would classify "The Art of Possibility". I guess it could be described as a self-help, self-development kind of book. To be honest I haven't quite finished it yet so any decription that I give right now could fall a bit short but I have been so taken by some of the lessons in the book that I thought it worth mentioning here.

About three years ago the entire management team at Grouse Mountain was given a copy of the book from the company president, Stuart McLaughlin. I started reading it immediately but for whatever reason put it down halfway through and didn't pick it up again until very recently. Given some of the changes in my life recently it seemed like a pretty good fit and so far it hasn't disappointed. A couple of posts ago I mentioned how my new job has given me an opportunity to take a couple of steps back and evaluate some of the things that I've been doing, one of the things that I have decided is that I've been taking myself just a bit too seriously.

Rule Number 6!

The Art of Possibility provides a different way of looking at the world and the people around us. It is about participating and allowing those around us to participate too. Its about contributing and encouraging those around us to contribute. There are a lot of us out there who take the easy way out a lot of the time. Its easy to make excuses for the things we've done or haven't done, easy to blame others when we fall short, easy to overlook or ignore the consequences of the decisions that we make. Its not so easy to listen and hear what other people have to say, to encourage those that don't normally say anything to speak up and sometimes it really sucks to stand up and say "Thats my fault, I'm sorry".

I have been taking myself too seriously lately and The Art of Possibility has opened my eyes to that. I know a few others out there that may benefit from rule number 6 and thats why I thought I'd mention it here.

why don't we just pick a bus off the transit tree?

What do you suppose the reaction would be if you stood outside your favorite grocery store and asked everyone entering if they would like to pay less for milk? The answer is obvious isn't it? So what if you created a petition and told all of these people that by signing they would show the store manager that a whole bunch of like-minded people believe that they should be paying less for milk and therefore the manager should give all of us milk consumers a break and roll back the price. How do you suppose the store manager would react?

Perhaps, in this case the manager would turn to her milk supplier and demand that he reduce the stores milk price in order that the store may ease its customers burden at the cash register. Or maybe intead the store manager would call a meeting of her employees and inform them that the only way to meet the demands outlined in the petition and reduce the price of milk will be for each worker to take a pay cut.

Of course this is ridiculous!

The point here is that despite the fact that we would all like to pay less for the things that we use, everything has a price and someone has to pay it. The only way to avoid this simple truth is to go without all of the things that we need or enjoy. So I can't help but wonder what BC NDP Leader Carole James is really trying to tell us when she says that "transit users like the idea of lower fairs"?

Duh!

Of course they do and it should be no surprise that people would approach her on January 30 at the Broadway skytrain station and sign her petition calling for lower fares. Lets face it, there isn't a person out there that wouldn't like to save a buck or two somewhere and somehow.

Recently Premier Gordon Campbell and Transportation Minister Kevin Falcon announced an incredible $14 billion investment to improve transit in British Columbia. This investment is long overdue if we have any hope in meeting the BC Liberals aggressive emission reduction targets and if we truly expect to keep a growing Metro Vancouver population moving at the same time. The question remains though, who is going to pay for it?

If Carole James has anything to do with this it won't be the people that use the service the most! Look out tax payer!

I don't take transit that often. My wife and usually car-pool and lately I've been trying to use my bike more to drag myself around to all the places I need to be. The fact is that transit, in its current state at least, doesn't really fit us that well and I can actually get to work about an hour quicker by riding a bike versus riding the bus. That said, I'm not really that bothered to see the transit levy on my monthly hydro bill. I don't mind a portion of the taxes I pay for fuel or anything else going to service Translink and to be completely honest, I wouldn't be that opposed to any future, moderate increases in taxes to help ensure an efficient and sustainable transit system leading into the future. I don't have a problem contributing...as long as the people who use the service do their part as well!

The notion that we can ever have "more buses, lower fares" (as groups like the Bus Riders Union would suggest) is absolutely absurd and I suspect that even people like Carole James, deep down understand this.

Carole James and the BC NDP can stand at as many skytrain stations or bus stops as they like and they can amass as many signatures as they like in the process. At the end of the day the obvious will remain, we need to spend a lot of money to improve our transit infrastructure... and no one rides for free!

help support hastings park.




This week the BC Court of appeals will hear the petition put forward by "concerned community groups" from Vancouver-Hastings opposed to a 2006 decision that has allowed Great Canadian Casinos to install slot machines at Hastings Park. Leading the charge in this case is the Hastings Park Conservancy, a group of volunteers strongly opposed to any kind of development in the park that isn't green and that advocates for the complete return of Hastings to the community of Vancouver-Hastings (or Hastings-Sunrise).

I know a few members of the Conservancy and I have a great deal of respect for some of the things that they have done in advocating for green space and for their passion in preserving an important piece of our community. The trouble is that I don't necessarily share the vision that the Hastings Park Conservancy has of what our park should look like. Incidentally, there are a lot of people who don't.

Over the past 3 or so years that we have lived in Vancouver-Hastings and throughout the last year or so that I have actively participated in groups within the community I have heard loud and clear the battle cries of the defenders of one of Vancouver's largest urban parks (all 162 acres). Phrases like "Hastings Park must be returned to the people." or "Hastings Park is a park for the public before profit." I have heard people in conversation say that all of the buildings in the park, no matter their historical significance should be removed and that a race track that can't survive without slots shouldn't be allowed to survive at all. I have read in bulletins and in letters to the editor that "we want our park back" but I've also looked a little bit into the history of Hastings Park and at the end of the day admit that I am confused.

In 1889 the province of BC gave the 160 acre future Hastings Park to the community "for the use, recreation and enjoyment of the public." What did they mean by this? By whose standard are we supposed to measure what is recreation or enjoyment? Can we not accept that people going to the PNE, Playland, the skate park, the race track, a Vancouver Giants game or the sanctuary are doing so for recreation or to enjoy themselves? Or should we be lead to believe that the only acceptable recreation in the park is that defined by certain advocacy groups?

Shortly after the province gave our community the park 15 acres were set aside for the race track. This area, originally known as East Park was cleared by the BC Jockey Club and Hastings track was soon born, the first race track in BC. Later in 1908, 60 acres of the park were given to the PNE's predessessor the Vancouver Exhibition Association, presumably to fullfil a need for "more wholesome activities such as tradeshows for dairy farmers, loggers, and horticulturists". Since then there have been many changes and additions to Hastings Park. Buildings and attractions came like Happyland, the Forum and Rollerland and buildings went including the Purefoods building, BC Pavilion and Showmart. Our park may have served a regrettable purpose during WW II but it also proudly provided Vancouverites and British Columbians with a place to watch the BC Lions while the Pacific Coliseum gave us a place for our Vancouver Canucks to play their first NHL game.

Although I never really liked them (thanks to a certain high school music teacher) Hastings Park and Empire Stadium also welcomed the Beatles in 1964.

Despite what certain groups (and certain bloggers) would like us to believe Hastings Park has been a park for both the public and for profit for over 100 years and for the most part this arrangement has worked pretty well for everyone. Without the "profits" generated by the PNE, the track, the Colliseum and so on the full financial burden to maintain Hastings Park would fall squarely on the taxpayer. Without permanent residents in the park that have a vested interest in keeping it clean and open to the public our park would undoubtedly fall prey to vandalism, tent cities and other hazards that put the safety of those very few that would still choose to recreate and enjoy this gift from the province at risk.

Advocates tell us that Hastings Park has been stolen from the "citizens of the east end". We are told that the park was never intended for casino purposes, but I can't help but wonder who it was that said the park belonged solely to the east end in the first place. Was the word "casino" ever even mentioned in any documents way back then in 1889? Have any of the people currently opposed to slot machines taken the time to visit the new (temporary) casino at Hastings Park to determine its actual impact? I have.

I can agree in part with the Hastings Park Conservency as I believe that there is more room for greening and there is certainly a need to protect Hastings Park. The question remaining is how should the park be preserved? My version of Hastings Park includes a race track (with slots if needed), Playland, a skate park, the PNE, a shortcut for my bike ride to and from work, the Vancouver Giants, the Sanctuary, the Italian Gardens, the Hastings Little League, Disney on Ice, the Hastings Community Center and so on. My version of Hastings Park has "recreation and enjoyment for everyone" in all of recreation's many shapes and sizes.

Advocates ask us to join them in shouting "we want our park back" but I question whether or not it was ever really taken away. I say that Hastings Park has simply evolved over the last century to meet the changing needs of an extremely diverse community and those others who care to visit for good family "use, recreation and enjoyment."

small school...big bulldozer!

I really wanted to write this post (or one similar to it) about 8 months ago. In fact I did but then my own sensibilities prevented me from putting out into the blog-o-sphere. After a bit more thought and a couple of leaflets in my mailbox I've decided that mine is a tale that needs to be told.

As most people in the Vancouver-Hastings community may be aware the Vancouver School Board decided several months ago to close the Garibaldi Annex to Lord Nelson Elementary. The possibility of the school closing has actually been out there for a lot longer however, last December the Board held a meeting to determine the fate of this small annex with just over 40 students. Supporters of Garibaldi obviously and perhaps reasonably oppose this potential closure stating in the first flyer that we received that "Garibaldi has been unfairly isolated and removed from the ongoing Vancouver School facility review process and targeted for closure."

Interesting choice of words...

No one can say that they truly relish the notion of the closure of any public school, whether its in your community or not. Schools, arguably are one of the few foundations within a community that bring people together to help form bonds and memories that often last a lifetime. I'm sure that there are a great many memories out there that surround Garibaldi, some good and some not so good. But still I believe that the questions need to be asked...At what point does the community outgrow its need for the school or the school fail to meet the needs of the growing community? How much does it cost to keep a school alive for a steadily declining student population? How much do we really owe Garibaldi Annex and how do we measure this against what the school provides for us? At what point do we cut our losses in terms of the number of students attending 40, 30, 20, 15, 7?

Garibaldi School has confirmed 11 new registrations for kindergarten next year. How many grade 4 students are leaving? We don't know, perhaps next year if the school remains open someone will be fighting to save it for 30, 20, 15 students. Then what?

Alright, by now you are wondering what my point is, why am I attacking Garibaldi school, what do I personally have against the tiny k to 4 annex nestled so quaintly between Hastings and 1st and Renfrew and Naniamo? A very good question! As I said earlier I don't think that anyone is super excited about the notion of a public school closing in their community or anyone else's for that matter. The truth is that everyone (except for a few students perhaps) loves to have a school in their neighbourhood since they are good for the community, good for the social networks within the community, good for property values (hmmm) and so on. The truth is that I have a personal history with this particular school and unfortunately the memories that I took away from it aren't really that great.

Garibaldi Annex, or more specifically the administration of Garibaldi Annex made my son's first experience within the public school system absolutely miserable. It was bad for him, bad for my wife and bad for me and this is too bad because we began the year dedicated to the cause of saving this school. We were on the PAC, we attended fund raisers, you name it...we were there. Without going too far into the details of our experience, the school's administration at the time (while friendly to begin with) turned out to have everything but the welfare of our son at heart. While we thought that we were involved with his educational experience, it actually turned out that we had no idea what was going on after we dropped him off. The the staff were far less than transparent and the only item on the agenda seemed to be the labelling of our son with any "designation" that would justify the administrations drive for funding, resources and a future. What was that phrase "unfairly isolated and removed...?"

The latest flyer that we received from Garibaldi supporters (which came last weekend) does what any "save our anything" sort of flyer should do, it aims straight for the heart strings of the reader. It tells us that Garibaldi is a "small school with a big heart" and we are told that the school "provides an intimate learning environment in which children develop strong community values" Let me tell you that this was not the case while we were a part of this school. Our child was separated from the "community" as much as possible often for behaviour that most people would expect from a 5 year old.

The motto at Garibaldi Annex we are told is "We think of others", a great motto for sure but not one that our family experienced that much while we were there. But don't take my word for this alone as there are at least 3 other families that I am aware of who either pulled their children from the school early or did not return this year. I have spoken with a few of these parents recently and all report the wonderful progress that their kids are making in their new environments. Sort of makes you think that maybe, just maybe there's another reason for the steadily declining population at Garibaldi.

Or maybe I'm just a bitter parent! In all honesty though and despite my own real life experiences I do applaud those that love Garibaldi for their efforts to save the school. You know, after all is said and done I have to give the school some credit...after all if the administration at Garibaldi had not made our experience so absolutely miserable we would have never discovered Sir Mathew Begbie, a public school that has shown us plenty of "heart", has worked with our son and us and has yet to even mention the word "designation".

Even still, don't expect my name on any petition to save Garibaldi school.

On September 19, 2007 after almost 14 years working at Grouse Mountain, I started a new job. Of course I was nervous and needless to say this was a very big step for me. 14 years is a long time and almost everything I know, everything I have become and nearly everyone who is important to me, including my wife and 2 boys has come to me in some way thanks to my experiences at Grouse Mountain.

But the move came at a very good time and among other things it has allowed me to take a couple of steps back and evaluate what I'm doing, why I'm doing it, where I'm going and my reasons for wanting to get there. This move, if nothing else has reminded me of the importance of "rule number 6". (a great topic for another time).

So with the job change came an opportunity to make a bunch of pre-new year resolutions and one of the things that I promised to do was to ride my bike to work more often. Despite the cold and unforgiving weather of late this has been a relatively easy promise to keep especially since my new job is about 7 km closer to my home and some 900 feet closer to sea level (it really couldn't be closer to sea level). My former colleagues at the Vancouver Area Cycling Coalition would be proud as last week I managed to ride 4 times (only a mid day dentist appointment prevented me from riding all week) and notwithstanding a few minor pains, I'm also pretty pleased with my accomplishment.

I made the decision to ride more for three reasons. First I wanted to reduce my own carbon footprint. Anyone who has visited here before knows that I believe we all need to make important changes in our own routines before we can expect anything from anyone else, including government. Second I wanted to save a bit of money by visiting the pump a little less, but most importantly my decision to ride was made to achieve the mental and physical benefits of the cycling. As I approach 40 I figure that its time I do something nice for my body.

Along with this resolution to cycle more came another important decision to trim some of the fat that I had accumulated through volunteering a bit too much of my time to a variety of organizations. This time last year I was involved with no less than 8 different volunteer boards, committee's, sub-committee's, coalition's, association's, team's and organization's. Way too much... just ask my wife. The challenge here was which ones to leave since all were important to me for one reason or another? After a fair bit of consideration and a little bit of frustration my decisions were made and one of the groups that I have since left is the Vancouver Area Cycling Coalition.

One of the great benefits of cycling to work is the opportunity that it gives you to think. My particular route is relatively calm, it takes me about 20 minutes to make the 10 km trip to and from work which is plenty of time to think about the day ahead and forget about the day behind. Interestingly one of the things that I have been thinking about the most lately is cycling.

Despite my growing passion for cycling it was pretty easy for me to leave the VACC. Despite the fact that I am cycling more these days it is becoming quite clear to me why more people aren't doing the same. Unfortunately, in my opinion this has little to do with poor cycling infrastructure and a lot to do with the cycling community. There are many types of cyclists but I think they can all be put into two general categories, the transportation cyclists and the recreational cyclists. In my own experiences (this is a bit of a generalization of course) I have found that transportation cyclists don't really like recreational cyclists and this is a problem for me. I attended a meeting several months ago where the key topic was about finding better ways to communicate with cyclists and get more people involved in our organization and with cycling as a form of transportation. The transportation cycling movement needs a stronger voice in order to deal with some of the very real infrastructure issues within our community. To get a stronger voice they need more members, simple right? One of the questions I asked was why we didn't communicate and ally ourselves more with other cycling organizations like the North Shore Mountain Bike Association, after all I was a mountain biker first and most of my mountain biking friends also cycle commute at least some of the time. Shouldn't it be easier to convince someone who already cycles in one form or another to also cycle commute than it would be to get someone who has never ridden a bike to attempt it in traffic for the first time? All but one person in the group looked at me as though I had a horn growing out of my head!

To be fair not all transportation cyclists feel this way, nor do all members of the VACC. Don't get me wrong, I also believe that the VACC is a good organization and a lot of its members are as reasonable as they are passionate about improving conditions for cycling, it just seemed to me at times that those with the most negative outlooks also had the loudest voices and I often felt as though I had to defend myself and my friends because we sometimes ride for fun!

The next observation that has lead me to believe that transportation cyclists can be a miserable bunch comes directly form my own commute. Each morning I meet the same half dozen or so cyclists along the way and each morning as I meet them I attempt to brighten an otherwise cold and wet experience by shouting out a "hello" or a "good morning", even a short "hi" in our often brief passing. I almost never get a reply, in fact I've had 2. Why are these people so grumpy? Is this what I have to look forward to as I get older and continue riding to work? I sincerely hope not. I concede that it is not always an easy decision to choose the bike over the car and some of the rides are more challenging than others but the one thing that I have found so far is that no matter what the weather or how wet I am when I get to work. No matter how tired or sore I am, how bad the traffic was and so on, I always feel good about myself when I get to where I'm going and I look at the bike that got me there.

There are at least three very good reasons to choose cycling but unfortunately it isn't, nor can it be for everyone. Transportation cyclists need to understand this and be a bit more willing to accept cycling in all of its forms if they truly hope to attract more members and the respect of other commuters. There are a few transportation cyclists out there that could really benefit from the valuable lesson contained in rule number 6.

had enough of NIMBY's

How many people are there in your immediate family? How about your extended family? Ok, how many people do you work with? How about friends, how many do you have? How many are really close to you? How many people out there, reading this have more than 5 people in their lives that are important to them.

Hopefully there are more than 5 people out there that will read this post...

About a week ago I came home to find a single paged leaflet in the mail alerting me and the fine folks of Hastings Sunrise to a potentially disastrous development about to take place at 2750 East Hastings. (site of the former Bell Funeral Home) The group that produced the flyer (sorry, I can't remember their name and my wife recycled the flyer before I had the presence of mind to write this) is urging residents to do whatever we can to stop this atrocity from occurring in our back yard. Write or call your MLA or city hall, take part in a rally... whatever just do something else our neighbourhood will surely be doomed!

So what is the development that is chilling the bones of this very concerned group? A supervised injection site? Is it another liquor store? An arcade (are there still arcades out there?) Is it a skateboard park or are they thinking about building mechanical dinosaurs in Hastings Park? Slot machines?

Sorry, all good guesses but its none of those...coming soon to 2750 East Hastings, Bosa Land Corporation hopes to build a 3 story building that will house a Shoppers Drug Mart on the main floor and offices for Vancouver Coastal Health on the 2nd and 3rd floors. Scary huh! Ok so VCH plans to use these offices to provide counselling and outreach services for patients suffering mental illness. I guess I can see how the ignorant and uninformed might be a little bit scared. These people probably aren't aware that 40% of the clients that will use the facility already live within walking distance of it as they are likely stuck on the fact that 1 in 10 of the people who will use the facility have a chemical dependency. So what!

The group that is opposed to this new mental health facility, in truth offices for outreach workers and approximately 70 clients per day, is clearly misinformed and they would like the rest of us to believe that by allowing this development our neighbourhood will become the next downtown eastside. Once built, according to those ignorant about mental illness and the services that VCH already provides in other communities, our community will be flooded with drug addicts, panhandlers and the homeless. At least those that aren't here already. The truth is however, that there is already a mental health facility that services the DTES located at 330 Heatley meaning that there would really be no sensible reason to believe that our facility would service anyone other than primarily our residents.

According to the Canadian Mental Health Association nearly 1 in 5 Canadians or about 20% of the population will personally experience a mental illness within their lifetime. So again I have to ask, how many people do you know? When I look closely at my friends and family some days I think this number could be more like 1 in 2, but seriously what do we tell our loved ones who need the help as we write our letters, make our phone calls and march en masse to stop this development. Personally I'm ashamed!

Mental illness accounts for approximately 4% of all hospital visits in this country and its treatment costs us about $7.331 billion per year. There are proven and effective treatments for most forms of mental illness and many of those treatments will be available to our community (and others) at 2750 East Hastings. Unless our own selfishness and ignorance gets in the way, you see the trouble with mental illness and the greatest barrier to a persons ability to get treatment is the stigma that we hang on our friends and family members that suffer from it.

Shame on those of you out there that would stand in the way of this badly needed facility!

On another note... sometimes I find myself trapped between the things that I like and my own ideologies (see the comments on my last post). While I really used to enjoy drinking Miller Genuine Draft I had to stop only because of the fact that Miller is owned by cigarette giant Phillip Morris. Many of you will think that this is ridiculous but then I've never admitted to be anything other than ridiculous. In doing research for a tobacco-free strategy at my last job I also learned a surprising fact about Shoppers Drug Mart, a fact that in my mind makes the above development thousands of times more objectionable than the mental health facility that will occupy most of it. Shoppers Drug Mart is owned by none other than Imasco... the same company that controls about 69% of the Canadian tobacco market through its "Players" brand.

So while I personally support VCH's bid for a new facility, guess which new drug store in the community I won't be using.

Ahh Another rainy day in the lower mainland...

My wife loves the rain...at least that's what she tells me every time I start griping about the weather. Me, I understand that rain is important but I'm no great fan of it nonetheless. Especially on a miserable rainy Saturday when my wife is at work and I am left to find creative ways to entertain our two boys.

Yesterday I decided that after skating lessons we would head out to Langley, the plan being to catch up with some old friends and drop in at my folks place. Driving out there can be a pain at the best of times so I wasn't relishing the idea of making the trip in crappy weather, but we hadn't been out in a while so off we went. On the way I tried to call a couple people to find out who was up for a visit, unfortunately it seemed as though everyone was busy or at least unable to answer the phone. This should have been my first clue but no worries, one of my parents is almost always home so we continued on anyway.

Well in this case it turned out that almost was the optimum word. Worse, when I got to my folks place I realized that I hadn't brought my key and so there we were in Langley, in the rain with nothing to do and no one to do it with. Looking at the entire situation it had appeared as though I had made "the wrong plan!"

What to do next? We loaded ourselves back up into the car and, not knowing anyone else to call we headed back in the same direction that we had come. Back home to kill the couple of hours until we had to pick mom up from work. Needless to say none of us were thrilled but despite the poor planning on my part all went fairly well on the trip home until we got to about the 104th st exit of highway 1. Surprise, surprise here we were at 2:30 on a Saturday afternoon crawling our way west toward the Port Mann bridge.

Turns out that despite being the only way we could have gone at the time we had in fact headed in "the wrong direction!"

I grew up in Langley but have lived about the last 17 years divided between parts of North Vancouver and now East Vancouver or, more specifically Hastings-Sunrise. That said, I'm pretty familiar with the different route choices available to get to my parents house and back again. Choosing a route home yesterday I suppose that I could have gone over the Pattullo bridge but driving through the heart of Langley and Surrey has never been a great option. I guess I could have taken the Alex Fraser route but I've never really been a fan of going to far out of the direction I need to go. Same with the tunnel, plus I've had some pretty bad traffic luck there in the past. Albion ferry? I wouldn't even consider it. To get where I needed to go I was really only left with one choice in crossings, the Port Mann.

Turns out that, despite this lack of choice, I had in fact chosen "the wrong bridge!"



Sound familiar? On Thursday September 27 BC NDP Leader Carole James told the Union of BC Municipalities that "the governments current Gateway plan spends billions of infrastructure dollars on yesterday's solution to tomorrows problem." An interesting statement and I guess I should agree with her since the Port Mann was in fact my problem yesterday. Unfortunately its been the problem of a lot of lower mainland commuters for about 20 years now and will continue to be a problem for thousands of commuters until the expansion proposed with the Gateway Program is completed.

Finally, after months of speculation Carole James has told the people of British Columbia where she stands (albeit not in the same place as most of us and many within her own party) on Gateway. In Carole's world the BC Liberal plan to ease congestion over the Fraser River and stop the idling that happens daily approaching it is "the wrong plan, the wrong direction and the wrong bridge!"

Sort of makes you wonder if Carole James isn't looking at the wrong picture, in the wrong century from the wrong planet doesn't it?

facebook, the planet and the many faces of the environmentalist

Thanks to Facebook I have recently re-connected with an old high school friend. (Yes I too am part of the massive and growing facebooker movement) In my friends profile he lists as one of his favorite books "endgame" by Derrick Jensen and along with the book he posts a challenge for all to "shut the #%$! up about current affairs until you've read it!" Not being able to resist a good challenge (and needing to be able to talk about current affairs) I immediately went out and bought Volume 1 (its a 2 volume book)"The Problem of Civilization" and dove right into reading it.

Derrick Jensen, for those that haven't heard of him is a bit of an environmental extremist. According to his bio he is a "leading voice of uncompromising dissent" and fellow author (Peoples History of the United States) Howard Zinn praises Jensen as "a rare and original voice of sanity in a chaotic world". Endgame basically tells the story of how civilization has and is ruining the planet and all of the living things, (plant and animal) that occupy it.

Looking at the world around me, its really hard to disagree with many of the points raised by Jensen or with the twenty premises that he poses at the start of the book. I too am concerned about our environment and I can't disagree that civilization has had the greatest negative impact on our planet and the future of everyone and thing that calls it home. Still, there were several times throughout my reading of Endgame where I thought I would put it down and move on to something else. I don't know if Jensen is in fact the leading voice of dissent but he is certainly the loudest I've read in a while. His points are valid, I'm just not so sure that I'm ready to buy into his solutions yet!

According to Derrick Jensen the only way to save the planet is to destroy civilization as we know it. Blow up dams, pull down cell phone towers, and all-in-all create a level of chaos that will force those people who survive to change the way that they are living. All for the benefit of the salmon (Derrick Jensen really likes salmon).

Civilization has most certainly reached a crossroad where we must make what could arguably be the most important decision we've ever made before. The decision that we make will have a profound impact on the future of not only civilization but the planet as a whole for sure, but I'm not yet at the point with Jensen where I believe that we need to start blowing up dams to save the world. Perhaps the biggest challenge that I had with the book lies in the fact that Derrick Jensen seems to dismiss the impact that we as individuals have or can have on a sustainable future. No doubt our efforts are small and seemingly insignificant when stacked up against the damage caused by industry and government but I can't help believe that more of us need to clean up our own back yards to demonstrate that we actually have the conviction to take on the big offenders. Only once the majority of us agree that our planet is important and that saving it is a priority will we be able to truly affect any kind of positive change.

I'm not ready to blow up dams, but on the subject of dams and recognizing that since most of us don't want to see civilization destroyed, I am in favour of efforts to find alternative sources of energy that don't destroy salmon populations, contribute to melting ice caps or rely heavily on non-renewable fossil fuels. Common sense tells me that finding alternative energy sources is not going to be easy and meeting future demands, especially as our population grows is a challenge that required serious thought and creative solutions. But then I'm no expert when it comes to energy, not like Vancouver-Hastings NDP MLA and Environment Critic Shane Simpson.

When it comes to energy and the environment the BC NDP and Simpson's strategy (or lack of) only manage to confuse me more. British Columbian's have largely told the government that the environment is a priority and the BC Liberals have responded to the level that even environmental groups within the province have applauded the governments efforts. Yet the NDP still find the time to oppose green energy such as independent run-of-the-river projects. In case you've missed it, Shane Simpson is a long-standing opponent to run-of-the-river projects like the one currently being built at Ashlu Creek in the Squamish valley. Run-of river power is achieved (very simply stated) when a portion of a river is diverted through a tunnel or pipeline toward a turbine and then returned, unchanged back to the river. It seems like a pretty reasonable alternative to bigger dams that flood valleys, harm the salmon and face the potential risk of being blown up by Derrick Jensen, doesn't it? Ashlu Creek, once completed will generate enough power to service 23,000 home each year. Not bad considering that BC Hydro doesn't have enough power to service BC right now and has to import power from other places.

So what is Shane Simpson's problem? I know I've said it before but here it is again...

Ownership!

Shane Simpson and the BC NDP don't like the idea that anyone other than the government control power in British Columbia. Shane Simpson and the BC NDP stay awake at night worrying over the very notion that private companies might generate power that they might then turn around and sell...for a profit! Worse, they might sell it to people other than British Columbians! I can understand and in some ways respect a politician, critic, or minister for that matter placing the needs of British Columbians before those of anyone else. This is why we elect them after all, to represent us. That said, there just seems to be something wrong with an environment critic who's concerns for a greener planet stop at the border. On this I have to agree with Nigel Protter in the Oct 4 Georgia Strait where he identifies run-of-the-river projects "as a means of avoiding dirty fossil fuels in electricity generation." Don't we all benefit in some way from cleaner energy?

There are currently some 1.7 million hydro customers in this province and BC Hydro already must import energy to meet our needs. The province's energy demand is expected to increase by 1.7% each year for the next 10 years meaning, as I mentioned earlier, that if we expect to meet our own power demands we will have to seriously explore alternative sources.

Shane Simpson has promised to start asking some serious questions in the legislature about the future and scale of power generation in the province. He intends to use question periods to raise his concerns over "massive projects" like the one at Ashlu Creek and the some 50 other projects awaiting approval.

I may not agree with Jensen's form of extreme environmental dissent but at least I can respect his conviction when it comes to saving the planet (I'm currently reading volume 2 of Endgame). Unfortunately the same can't be said for Shane Simpson, the environment critic that seems to have no clue or conviction at all for a greener planet.

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.

here's to a new beginning

Has it really been over 2 months since I last graced this space with my presence? Hard to believe but thanks to two different friends pointing it out to me last week I have been reminded that I do in fact own a small piece of the blogging world. Apparently there are at least a couple of people out there interested in what I have to say. Thanks!

So here I am again, staring out the kitchen window, watching my back yard flood thanks to the rain and reflecting on a summer that never really came but is now long gone. Looking at the lake forming next to the garage I'm reminded of all the things that I planned to do this summer (like fixing the drainage) but never really got around to. Contributing to blog space is just one of many projects cast aside over the past couple of months but to be completely honest, looking back now it doesn't seem like there was really that much to talk about anyway.

What have I typically filled this space with after all? Looking back in previous posts you'll find all sorts of stuff about politics (mostly provincial), my community (Vancouver-Hastings) and some of the volunteer opportunities within it, the Gateway Program (interesting that now all of a sudden so many others are bringing attention to this), the environment and of course mountain biking. An odd mix perhaps but these are the things (along with my family of course) that make me happy. Question then is how do they contribute (or not) to my absence from the blogosphere?

Some may disagree but I think that politically speaking its been a pretty quiet summer as the province has managed to tick along quite nicely with Gordon Campbell at the helm. For those that didn't know I am a fan of the man and his leadership and therefor tend to agree with most of the things that the BC Liberals have done, or at least those things that affect me and my family. Frankly I see no problem in his plan to turn over the University Golf Club to the Musqueam's! Politics...oh yeah I guess there is that nasty little labour dispute that doesn't seem to want to go away. This has been a challenge hasn't it? But I quite intentionally left it alone as I, along with many Vancouverites have managed to find a way to get through it. The truth is that I don't agree with or support either side of this particular dispute. I believe that the union is being completely unreasonable and at the same time I think that Sam Sullivan has demonstrated a complete lack of leadership on the matter. But then if you ask me I think Christy Clark should be mayor.

The strike has contributed in some ways to my lack of inspiration as it has affected my ability to participate with at least 4 of the volunteer groups that I belong to since they have been handcuffed by picket lines. While most of these groups shut down for the summer anyway it is never-the-less difficult to talk or get excited about the City's Neighbourhood Emergency Preparedness Program, the Hastings Community Association, the Hastings-Sunrise City Vision or the Public Realm when all of their projects and facilities have been shut down. (My son doesn't need to go to pre-school anyway)

Short of his brilliant move to risk life and limb and enter an active construction area without benefit of even the most basic personal protective equipment, my pal Shane Simpson has been pretty quiet this past summer. Nothing too ridiculous for me to mention here anyway, although I see that is quickly changing so stay tuned. The PNE has come and gone for yet another year with over 900 000 visitors and I'm happy to say that my family and I are included in this number yet again. It amazes me to think that there are people in this community that seem bent on dismantling Hastings Park and the PNE as we know them and as they have stood as institutions in our community for so long.

So I guess this leaves mountain biking...ah mountain biking probably the second or third love of my life. What happened to you this summer? Things really started off well and we were managing to get out at least once per week for a good while but then life started getting in the way I suppose. People got busy, people moved, changed jobs and so forth and suddenly it became near impossible to find a time that our faithful group could get together at the same time. My own schedule and family responsibilities made getting away for even one afternoon or evening almost impossible. The weather... well one great thing about mountain biking is that sometimes the crappier the weather the better the ride.

So here I am, the last day of September and the water level in the back yard is almost to the point where it starts pouring into the garage...

But not to worry! If I have sounded bit dreary up to this point all is till ok (but thanks for listening anyway) because I have a feeling that things are about to change after all, I see both Carole James and Shane Simpson back in the news with one foot or another rapidly approaching one mouth or another. The groups that I love that aren't stuck behind a picket line seem to be ramping up for the tail end of 2007. I've started a great new job that is challenging me in all of the right ways (its also allowed me to stay in Vancouver) and, perhaps most important I dropped my bike off at the shop yesterday for a much needed tune-up. It should be ready in about a week just in time for some wet, muddy fall riding.

It feels good to be back in the saddle again!

the best place on earth...

My family and I recently returned from a week spent exploring parts of British Columbia. Specifically the southern parts from Vancouver to Cranbrook and back. With over 2000 km to travel and only a week to do it, the trip was an ambitious one from the start. Never mind the fact that our Ford Focus, overstuffed with kids, bikes and gear left us wondering more than a few times whether or not we would actually make it to the top of that next summit along the way.

Never-the-less, we were excited about the trip and despite the rush and some of the challenges faced along the way, we still managed to see some really great places and were provided with many reasons as to why BC should be considered as "the Best Place on Earth!"


One of the main reasons for this particular route was so that we could visit some of our friends that had recently moved away from the Vancouver area. It seems like lately more and more of our friends are pulling up roots and replanting themselves in parts scattered across the province, sad perhaps but a great reason for a road trip! This time around the plan was to hit Lac Le Jeune, Kamloops, and Cranbrook with various stops in between, most important for me was a stop at Panorama Ski Resort outside of Invermere for a couple of days of mountain biking.

Because of all the places that we had to be and the time that we had to get there we ended up spending a lot of time on the road, staring longingly at majestic mountain vistas, lakes, pristine rivers and vast forests (sadly more than a few devastated by the beetle) through the windshield of our belaboured Focus wagon. Still, we did manage a few key stops at places like the last spike in the transcontinental railroad, Rogers Pass, the Hope slide and other significant points of Canadian and British Columbia history, just to keep the trip educational for our boys. Of equal importance, we were able to glimpse a few areas of the province that we would like to see more of and so are better able to plan our next trip into parts of ...the best place on Earth!

Which brings me to my final point, if there's to be a point in this particular story at all. During the trip I often found myself caught up in our surroundings, from the devastating results of the Pine Beetle in the Kamloops area, to the Shushwap, to the rugged mountain passes around Revelstoke, Golden and Invermere, to the deer on the street in front of the house we were staying at in Cranbrook, to the desert of Osoyoos (you get the picture). This trip, for whatever reason extended my sense of community from our little piece of Vancouver-Hastings to the greater community of British Columbia. Maybe its because of all the people we now know in these places, I don't know but this trip made me realize what a great place we are a part of.

There has been a certain amount of objection and negative comment to the BC governments decision to identify our province as "the best place on earth". Many of the negative comments identify the narrow mindedness of such a label and point out equally fantastic parts of others places in the world. Others point out some of the challenges to living in BC and, more specifically Vancouver as a result of high housing prices and so on. While I understand these challenges and also accept that I have seen some great things in the places I've been, places like Germany, Mexico, Fiji, Australia, I point out that I (and many of us) have always returned to BC. For me, and for most of us that live here, British Columbia is the best place on Earth and I think thats the point to the governments message. Perhaps more of us should stop and take a look at what we have for a minute instead of always finding ways to point out what we don't have or what we should have, or what is owed to us.

If you are a British Columbian, BC really should be the best place on Earth!

transit\'tran(t)s-et, 'tranz-\ n [L transitus, fr. transitus, pp. of transire to go across, pass} (15c) 1 a: an act, process, or instance of passing through or over ; PASSAGE b: CHANGE, TRANSITION c (1) : conveyance of persons or things from one place to another (2) : usu. local transportation esp. of people by public conveyance; also : vehicles or a system engaged in such transportation.

What is transit? To some transit is limited to public buses, light rail, trains, seabuses and other forms of public transportation as point (2) in Webster's definition (above) seems to support. However, I would argue that points (1) and (3) imply that transit includes any form of transportation or infrastructure that supports it thereby allowing people and things to move.

This should then include cycling and cycling infrastructure. What do you think? Is money spent on cycling infrastructure not money invested in better transit? I think so!

BC Liberals invest $1.7 million for "Better Transit"

A few months ago I made comment here about a sign that I had spotted in my neighbourhood. The sign, produced by the Society Promoting Environmental Conservation (SPEC) read Better Transit, Not Freeways and its intent (presumably) was to draw attention to the concerns of a few citizens over the provinces Gateway program. Gateway, of course is a project set up by the BC government to address much needed transportation infrastructure upgrades throughout British Columbia.

Better Transit signs can be found scattered throughout neighbourhoods across the GVRD but I would wager that no community hosts as many as that of the Commercial and Victoria Drive areas of East Vancouver. The signs, while very simple in nature draw the reader towards the SPEC web site at http://www.spec.bc.ca/ where it is the hopes of the organization that concerned citizens will sign the on-line petition to encourage the government to invest our money in... Better Transit, not freeways!

To say that SPEC and similar organizations like it are against Gateway is probably a bit of an understatement. Nonetheless and despite the narrow focus I would say that their position is fair, after all in a society like ours its important that citizens take part in any debate over how our tax dollars are spent. The trouble is in this case I don't believe that many of those in opposition to Gateway are actually looking at the project as a whole. Many critics seem stuck on the notion that Gateway is about twinning a bridge and widening a freeway, a view that limits their ability to see the forest through the trees (sorry).


Case in point. On Friday July 6 I (along with 2 fellow members of the Vancouver Area Cycling Coalition) had the opportunity to be on hand as BC Transportation Minister Kevin Falcon and Minister of State for ActNow BC Gordon Hogg announced $ 1.7 million for cycling infrastructure in communities throughout the province. Or, for the benefit of anyone from SPEC that might be reading, for "Better Transit!" This $1.7 million is a part of the almost $100 million (more money for cycling in BC than ever spent before) spent or pledged on cycling by the BC Liberals and it will be distributed through the Cycling Infrastructure Partnerships Program (CIPP) which is a province wide cost share initiative between the provincial government and local governments.

CIPP funding is intended to allow for the development of critical cycling infrastructure like separate bicycle paths, shoulder bike ways, bike lanes and shared roadways. All of these are important elements to encourage more and more people to take up cycling as a viable transportation alternative or to simply get out and enjoy the health benefits of cycling in the safest manner possible. During the announcement just over a week ago Minister Falcon showed his passion for cycling by committing to bicycle lanes on every new piece of road built by the province. He also stated that new cycling funding, among other things will "...give commuters a chance to get out of their vehicles and get on their bikes, it will also help ease congestion, cut down on emissions, and improve the air quality."

For those from SPEC that may still be reading, once again read more money for Better Transit... not just freeways!

our plan is working!

In this booming economy with unemployment at a record low and a provincial government that actually cares and is doing something about the environment, health care, poverty, the provinces critical infrastructure and relationships with first nations (to name a few), its easy to forget the 90's. We shouldn't forget the 90's and how the NDP government of the day very nearly destroyed it all. 6 years later, with many ups and downs encountered along the way, its easy to see that the plan is working. Remember this in May 2009.

There goes my hero...

Wow! Just when I was beginning to think that nothing interesting was going to happen in BC politics this summer (now that summer has finally happened), Shane Simpson comes along and, for the sake of the environment and at tremendous personal risk, tries to take on Ledcor Power.

According to Province columnist Michael Smyth, Vancouver-Hastings own BC NDP MLA Shane Simpson has been recently accused of trespassing (along with an entourage of environmental activists) at Ledcors Ashlu Creek hydro project. Is anyone really surprised? Simpson has never made a secret out of the fact that he opposes the environmentally friendly run-of-the-river project at Ashlu Creek. Strange when you consider the impact that projects like this one have compared to bigger hydro projects that require large reservoirs, that cause large-scale flooding and that contribute greenhouse gas emissions.

Run of the river projects divert a portion of a creek or rivers water through an intake structure and into an underground tunnel. As Mr. Simpson correctly pointed out from his unauthorized "inspection" of the Ashlu project, a 7 km tunnel is being built (in this case) to take this diverted water to a power house (roughly the size of a large house). The advantage of the tunnel system (despite what Shane may try and tell us) is that it can be built without disturbing the landscape or the wildlife that lives above it. Once at the power house, the diverted water turns turbines that in turn generate electricity, in the case of the Ashlu project that's enough electricity to provide power to some 23 000 homes annually. Once used, all water is returned clean and unchanged to Ashlu creek.

Sounds pretty good doesn't it? After all, since we need power why wouldn't we try to get it from green sources like the one being built at Ashlu creek? Well if your Shane Simpson, environment critic for the BC NDP you don't agree. As Michael Smyth points out in today's column, Shane Simpson "likes to stay on top of all the big construction projects affecting the environment in British Columbia." But wait... Ashlu is a green project! How could Simpson possibly object to a green hydro project? The truth is that when it comes to Ashlu creek it really has nothing to do with anything green except that is, for money.

Shane Simpson objects to the Ashlu creek project because it is a private project, not because its not green! Simpson and the BC NDP by their very nature can't accept any project of this nature unless it is controlled by the government and so, in the interest of trying to find a real environmental reason to oppose the Ashlu Creek Project, Shane Simpson chose to lead a group of like-minded, misguided supporters on an unauthorized and extremely dangerous fact-finding mission into a construction site. This without any of the appropriate personal protective equipment needed to enter an active construction zone (where is Bill C-45 when you need it?)and without any regard for the health and safety of himself or anyone in his group.

Who said that there aren't any heroes left in the world?

Meanwhile, back in Vancouver-Hastings crime seems to be on a steady increase, the troubles of the Downtown Eastside seem to be spilling into our community, residents no longer feel safe... and the community continues to go largely under-represented by any of its elected officials!

Transportation in the BC (and especially the GVRD) has become a very hot topic over the past couple of years, partly with the introduction of the BC Liberals Gateway program, desperately needed improvements to the Sea to Sky Highway and the Kicking Horse Pass, the Canada Line and a number of other initiatives designed to improve a largely neglected transportation infrastructure. Complicating matters, there seems to be almost as many opinions about how to fix the problem as there are transportation choices but very few seem to look at the whole picture. In the end, whether you drive, take the bus, ride a bike or walk, we are all somehow impacted by a growing population and a long outdated transportation infrastructure. This said, it appears as though Translink and an aging bus fleet seem to be the focus of the latest conversation on transportation in Vancouver and the GVRD...

More buses...

One solution being offered up by organizations like SPEC and the Bus Riders Union is to increase the number of buses in the area by as much as 20%. This isn't a bad idea although one might argue that a significant increase in buses will only increase congestion unless some serious road upgrades are made at the same time. Of course the counter-argument would be that more buses will decrease the number of cars on the road meaning less congestion however, Jan Efting of the Bus Riders Union raises some speculation on this point in her column in the Friday 22 Jun Province. In her opinion piece Ms. Efting points out that in 2006 bus riders were left to wait at stops 10 extra minutes, 19 000 times, as full buses passed by. She goes on to say that there are 500 fewer buses running during the rush hour than what were promised (imply necessary) by Translink in 2000.

While I don't necessarily dispute Jan Efting's claim I can't help but wonder if this means that the proposed 20% more buses will be just enough to take up the current slack in the system or whether this includes room for new riders? Long line-ups at the bus stop will do very little to encourage more people to take the bus meaning that 20% more buses may in fact do little to decrease congestion on the streets. More buses, without rapid transit (as the Bus Riders Union seem to favour) is not the answer!

...lower fares!

This is the all important second half of the war cry of the Bus Riders Union, and why not? Don't we all relish the thought of getting something for nothing? Recently Translink announced that it would seek fare increases of about 12%, or $0.25 per trip on buses, skytrain and the Seabus. To most of the population, including many of us that take the bus this seems reasonable, after all if we expect an increase in any kind of service there should be some expectation that someone has to pay for it. Shouldn't we?

Not if you are a member of the Bus Riders Union or for that matter the BC NDP. Despite the rising price of commodities (like fuel), the expanded maintenance costs of an expanded fleet, extra staff and the initial cost of new buses, these groups feel it unfair that the end user of Translink's services, the bus rider's actually pay any part of an increase in service. Translink has made plans to increase its current fleet by adding 400 buses at an approximate cost of $500 000 for each bus (assuming they are standard 40 pax diesels) and to replace 228 aging trolley buses with new low floor models that cost significantly more. The 20% increase in buses proposed by SPEC comes with a price tag of about $170 million, either way a lot of money and since most of us know that nothing really comes free this would mean that any increase in Translink's services would be placed squarely on the shoulders of the taxpayer.

Thank goodness for calmer heads at Translink and for a BC government that understands that there is a limit to how far a tax dollar can stretch. In the end we will all have to pay for a part of these increases and, as tough is it may be for some, bus riders must be prepared to pay their share as well.

What's making you Sicko?

I haven't yet seen Michael Moores latest project Sicko. To be honest, if I see it I will likely wait until I can rent it on video. Its not that I have anything against Moore or his movies, in fact in most cases I have agreed with what he try's to say I just don't necessarily agree with the journey he takes to get to his decisions. Like the establishment that he criticizes, I don't believe that Michael Moore necessarily offers up the whole story. Anyway, I am interested in the topic he has chosen this time as health care is a very important topic in British Columbia right now and its a subject that has hit kind of close to home lately.

While it can be argued that our health care system is not yet anywhere near the poor shape of our neighbours to the south of us, there is certainly no denying that the system is in trouble. Currently in this province health care spending gobbles up about 40% of our tax dollars and its only getting worse. Why? Great question and there are undoubtedly hundreds of possible answers. To their credit the BC Liberals are in the process of trying to find these answers along with some practical solutions to our health care woes through the Conversation on Health. Despite these efforts, critics such as the BC NDP, BC Federation of Labour (to name a few) still believe that the best solution to health care in BC is to throw more money at it.

I'm no expert on health care, but I do believe that I have a fair amount of common sense and so the irony of the picture that I came across in the paper last week wasn't lost. Aging population, bad habits such as smoking, lack of exercise, new strains of virus's are all contributors to a system bulging at its seams, but maybe part of our problem lies a little closer to our waist lines than we would like to believe.