More than two dozen opponents of port expansion at Roberts Bank took part in a demonstration outside Port Metro Vancouver's community office at Ladner's Trenant Park shopping centre Wednesday. The peaceful late afternoon gathering was aimed at letting the port authority, as well as members of the port's community liaison committee that were arriving at the office for a meeting, know the opposition is poised to ramp up this year.
Saying the liaison committee is nothing more than "window dressing" for the port authority, Citizens Against Port Expansion (CAPE) spokesperson Cliff Caprani said concerned citizens will turn up the heat on Port Metro Vancouver as it will soon submit a formal environmental impact statement with the federal government.
That comprehensive document will launch a lengthy panel review for the proposed Terminal 2 (T2) project, a three-berth container terminal opponents are hoping to halt.
"This is a pivotal year for us and our grassroots movement. It's either go big or go home. We will try to do something on a regular basis and try to get out here in front of their offices as often as we can to make our point," said Caprani Wednesday.
T2 would be constructed on a man-made island adjacent to the existing Deltaport container terminal. The proposed terminal would provide additional capacity to meet the port's forecasted demand until 2030.
Questioning the port's numbers, Against Port Expansion's (APE) Roger Emsley, a member of the liaison committee, told the Optimist prior to the committee's meeting this is a crucial time. He said opponents would go all-out to convince the environmental review panel T2 must be rejected.
Emsley, who has a lengthy list of concerns, including the various habitat projects undertaken by the port in an attempt to buy so-called environmental credits, noted a number of speakers will present evidence to the review panel explaining how the project would devastate the important migratory bird habitat. "We will be going in front of them with a number of speakers and we will go after them on the environment side and we will also go after them on the lack of a businesses case, making the strongest case that we can.
Emsley added he hopes the review panel will be genuine and give consideration to APE's legitimate case against T2.
As far as the provincial government's stance on port expansion, the Optimist made an inquiry with Christy Clark's office to find out where the premier stands on T2. A government spokesperson issued a response that stated, "The province supports the economic development and the employment opportunities this project will create for British Columbians and is working with the port and other ministries to explore opportunities and ensure project impacts on local communities and the environment are identified and managed."
The statement adds, "Our world-class transportation network is vital to the future of our communities; it supplies us with goods from around the world we use here at home every day, and enables growing exports that create new jobs and opportunities in B.C."
The Optimist also tried to get Prime Minister Stephen Harper's position on West Coast port expansion during his recent visit to Delta. After submitting a question to a staff member in the PM's office, the only written response came from a Transport Canada spokesperson, who said the federal government has invested approximately $1.4 billion in Asia-Pacific Gateway infrastructure projects.
