Georgia Straight by Anne Murray
“Few dissenting voices for these massive infrastructure expenditures are heard among federal and provincial politicians, other than Delta’s two MLAs, Guy Gentner and Vicki Huntington, who have asked questions in the legislature.”
Billion-dollar boondoggle? Port infrastructure upgrades need accountability
Surrey NOW
The Editor,
Re: "Historic cannery coming down," the Now, July 12.
In a report to Delta council (April 2, 2007) the B.C. Liberal government said the design of the South Fraser Perimeter Road (SFPR) had "been refined to mitigate access impacts to heritage properties." One year later, then minister of transportation Kevin Falcon guaranteed heritage preservation, "I know we've identified some heritage assets - like heritage houses, etc. - where we're going to make sure that they've got appropriate access, etc. We'll continue to do that as we go forward." (Hansard: Ministry of Transportation Estimates, PM Session, April 14, 2008). Within four months that promise was broken.
According to the B.C. Liberal government's own Heritage Impact Study (August 2008), the rationale to destroy the oldest cannery south of the Fraser River was based on a lack of access to it because of the SFPR.
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Surrey NOW
Guy Gentner, MLA for Delta North at site of SFPR destruction.
Don DeMille North Delta biologist says massive clear cut 'a real kick in the gut'
By Tom Zytaruk
It's a heartbreaking sight for North Delta residents who played as children in the forests and gullies along the Fraser River.
Great swaths of tall trees have been cut down to make way for the South Fraser Perimeter Road, transforming the once lush hillside to a scene reminiscent of the cratered war fields of 1917 Belgium.
Locals knew it was going to happen, but to actually see the extensive clear-cutting, and the mud and wreckage the machinery has left behind, is hard to take in.
"It's a real kick in the pants is what it is, a kick in the gut," says Don DeMille, a biologist and North Delta resident. "That whole beautiful green strip of forest right on the edge of the Fraser River has been nuked completely.
Delta Optimist
Forum to be held at North Delta Recreation Centre next Wednesday, which is Anti-Bullying Day across Canada
Delta North NDP MLA Guy Gentner, Newton-North Delta Liberal MP Sukh Dhaliwal and Mayor Lois Jackson have come together again to host a forum on bullying.
It's set for Wednesday, Feb. 23, which is Anti-Bullying Day in Canada.
The three politicians first came up with the idea after they met with Maureen Chatham, whose daughter was murdered in 2008.
"After meeting with Mrs. Chatham, we had a discussion about what we as politicians could be doing in our community to help victims of violence. We discussed a forum on domestic violence, but then decided that the symptoms of violence go much further than that," said Gentner.
"Violence permeates our society in a variety of ways; different types of bullying are part of what could transcend into other forms of violence."
Delta Optimist
By Sandor Gyarmati
Provincial New Democrats are applauding the move by Delta council to have the controversial Southlands property in Tsawwassen placed back in the Agricultural Land Reserve.
Council this week unanimously approved sending the recommendations for a new area plan, written by CAO George Harvie, to a March 1 public hearing. The most surprising proposal is to apply to the Agricultural Land Commission to have the 538-acre Southlands put back in the ALR. The Southlands is zoned agricultural and in the regional district's Green Zone.
Supporting the move, the NDP say a growing population and a growing appetite for local food are both good reasons to return the Southlands to the ALR.
A recent auditor general's report shows that under the B.C. Liberals, the amount of land in the ALR on the south coast has declined by eight per cent despite the region's growing population and growing interest in local food, according to the NDP.
Surrey NOW
The Editor,
Re: "Arts council 'not dead,' just homeless in Delta," the Now, Jan. 27.
As a former director of the Delta Arts Council (DAC) and chair of the Delta Parks, Recreation and Culture Commission, I am deeply saddened and upset by the recent decision to place the Delta Arts Council and its volunteers out in the street.
While the arts council and Delta are attempting to reconcile a new delivery of arts, let us not forget that the real termination notice was slapped on the DAC in late 2009, when the B.C. Liberal government slashed the DAC's annual B.C. Lottery grant subsidy of $50,000. Since then, the DAC has been on a downward spiral.
A community's passion and vibrancy can be determined by its commitment to the arts. The Liberal government does not understand that the DAC is not a luxury or a frill; it enriches our community, promotes social well-being, and strengthens our economies.
Delta Optimist
MLA Guy Gentner attending launch of Operation Red Nose for 2010/2011 in Delta
2010 holiday campaign saw almost 200 more calls than previous year in Delta-Richmond
By Jessica Kerr
Operation Red Nose has wrapped up for another season and this year volunteers provided almost 200 more rides to holiday revelers in Delta and Richmond.
The 2010 campaign was capped off in the early morning hours of Jan. 1 as volunteers ferried people and their vehicles home from New Year's Eve festivities.
"What a night it was," said longtime volunteer Carlene Lewall.
This holiday season proved a busy one for the program with a total of 650 rides, almost 200 more than in 2009. Recently implemented tougher impaired driving penalties in B.C. are believed to be the primary reason for the increase.
The final night was a long one for Operation Red Nose volunteers, with the last team returning to headquarters after the final ride of the night at 6:15 a.m. on New Year's Day.
The Province
By Brian Lewis
Council's priorities seem to favour truck traffic over safety, sense
Whatever the trucking industry wants in Delta, the trucking industry gets.
At least that's how the community's two MLAs see it after Delta's municipal council quietly slipped through approval late this summer for Maersk Distribution, a division of one of the world's largest shipping corporations, to launch a six-month pilot project utilizing extra-long trucking units — each about 30.5-metres long — to run from Deltaport's container terminal to its centre on River Road.
These extended-length, super B-trains are about five-metres longer than conventional big rigs and consist of a diesel-powered tractor and two trailers.
But, before they rumble over Delta roads, additional permits must be issued and, most importantly, the Corporation of Delta's engineering department must complete widening of some intersections to accommodate the extended rigs' wider turning requirements.
Delta Optimist
By Jessica Kerr
Six-month pilot project not yet underway between Deltaport and Tilbury
Delta's MLAs are concerned that longer trucks on local roadways could prove to be a safety hazard.
At a Delta council meeting in August, civic politicians endorsed a pilot project with Maersk Distribution that would see the company operate its extended length trucks between its facility on River Road and the Deltaport container terminal at Roberts Bank.
The trucks, which are known as extended length super B-trains (ELS B-trains), are combination vehicles consisting of a tractor and two trailers that measure just over 12 metres in length.
The company must first obtain a highway use permit, a highway use licence and a provincial permit before the six-month trial period can begin.
If allowed to proceed, the trucks would move between Deltaport and Tilbury via Highway 17, 62B Street and River Road.
South Delta Leader
By Philip Raphael
Truck trains are coming to South Delta’s roads and Delta North MLA Guy Gentner says it’s the wrong choice in regards to safety and environmental sustainability.
Gentner said the 30.5-metre long trailers coming here—about five metres longer than regular semi trailers—work well in relatively isolated regions such as the Australian Outback and across the prairies between Calgary and Edmonton where they are commonplace and can run up to 41 metres long. But Delta’s already busy highways are not the place for them.
Maersk Distribution has applied to run the extra long trucks, known as Long Combination Vehicles, from Deltaport to its Tilbury area container facility. This summer, Delta Council approved the application and six-month pilot project. This would be the first time such trucks would be used within the Lower Mainland. The longer versions, known as B-Trains, are permitted to travel from the Lower Mainland to Kamloops and Kelowna.
