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Overpass not for farmers

Editor: Re: Deltaport Way crossing made easier with $9M overpass, Dec. 21 Recently an overpass at 41B and the Deltaport causeway was completed and with great fanfare.

Editor:

Re: Deltaport Way crossing made easier with $9M overpass, Dec. 21

Recently an overpass at 41B and the Deltaport causeway was completed and with great fanfare. Prior to this I was amazed that few if any stepped forward to explain that this overpass was not an overpass for the farmers since it was being touted as such.

Finally someone from the farming community and from a long time farming family stepped forward and was willing to take a stand.

Delta councillor Ian Paton, Ken Bates (Tecarte Farms) and Lydia Ryall (Cropthorne farm) and others refused to go to the official opening at the TFN recreation centre on Dec. 20 since most of the farmland on the TFN side had been lost to the TFN settlement.

However, Delta Farmers' Institute president John Savage attended and exclaimed in his speech: "We must move forward and I think it is a blessing we are able to work together."

He obviously speaks for himself and not for every farmer and citizen of Delta. This overpass, as explained by Coun. Paton, is an overpass to a future industrial complex belonging to the TFN.

It has no other purpose but to benefit the TFN development.

Mr. Bates described the official opening as celebrating the loss of farmland. I couldn't describe it better.

So besides the land settlement with the TFN we should include this $9 million dollar overpass to the TFN land settlement total.

We should call it what it is and not sugar coat it as being for the farming community.

John Savage and Mayor Lois Jackson attended the opening and I'm not puzzled why.

Everyone is entitled to their beliefs but you have to wonder whether their loyalty is with the farmers and citizens or with the seemingly endless removal of farmland for development purposes.

R. Brown