Not Stupid Growth

I might have mentioned that I grew up in Surrey, I also might have deliberately NOT mentioned it. But it really isn't THAT bad. Is it? I remember Moe Sihota called it a giant strip mall once, and it's true, you can't go anywhere without a car. King George Highway is lined with identical Plazas, all with interchangeable chain stores. Take one Burger King, McDonalds, A&W, Subway, or Wendys; add one Bank; add one Earls, Red Robin, Milestones, or Whitepsot; add a Starbucks, add either a Blockbuster Video or a Rogers; add one London Drugs, Future Shop, Toys R Us, The Brick, Canadian Tire, Costco, Office Depot, Staples, or Walmart; and finally add one massive grocery store such as Safeway, Save on Foods, or Real Canadian Superstore; and repeat.

It is an urban planner's nightmare; sprawl at any cost. Mayor Doug McCallum has championed unrestrained development and eschewed sustainable long term community planning, but as The Tyee reported, there is a shift in public opinion.

Enter SmartGrowth BC. Just in time for the municipal elections, they have created a comprehensive guide of sustainable choices for voters.

"Voters across British Columbia will elect municipal councils to manage our community affairs for the next three years. Growth and development decisions around issues like compact communities, health, transportation, affordable housing, green buildings, parks & wildlife habitat, air quality, protecting agricultural land and community engagement will be in the hands of the people we elect."

That way we won't have people like Doug McCallum deciding Vancouver's transportation issues, as head of Translink he was ultimately responsible for the recent fare hikes. Speaking of which, the Bus Riders Union issued a news release announcing a fare strike from November 14 to November 18 to highlight several issues, including: the safety concerns of bus riders; overcrowding; long waits; and the redistribution of transit resources from low-income, transit-dependent bus riders to regional and national businesses that will profit from the Richmond/Airport/Vancouver Rapid Transit project.

Why should the bus riders of Vancouver be billed for the sprawiling network of suburban grids that stretch further and further into valuable agricultural land? Why should we pay for the freeway expansion and the twinning of the Port Mann bridge? Or the construction of the new Golden Ear Bridge? When faced with a $75 vehicle levy, McCallum's Translink immediately dismissed the idea. If communities were built with SmartGrowth principles in mind, there would be no need for these massive infrastructure developments. People would live, work, shop, and play in close proximity, and that way local businesses would be supported. We also wouldn't have to import produce from across the globe.

Farm Folk/City Folk is another local organisation whose goals are to:
* ensure that everyone has access to enough and varied food.
* protect and promote our right to know where food comes from, what it contains, and how it is produced;
* promote self sufficiency by supporting local production of a diversity of foods.
* strive towards a food production system that is economically viable and provides healthy financial returns to farmers;
* promote food growing methods that foster good human and environmental health;
* emphasize locally controlled, small-scale farming and food initiatives;
* ensure our healthy food future by preserving farmland in BC.
* work with multicultural communities and diversify our membership to include everyone

This is an issue that will be gaining importance in the near future as transportation costs soar, and the viability of importing our food from across the globe decreases. According to the World Watch Institute, the average meal uses up to 17 times more petroleum products, and increases carbon dioxide emissions by the same amount, compared to an entirely local meal. One of Farm Folk/City Folk's initiatives is the One Hundred Mile Diet which was recently featured in, yup...you guessed it, The Tyee! The goal is to buy food and drink within a hundred mile radius. Sound easy? Follow the authors as they try it for a whole year.

We need to plan now for the future. Sounds cliche, I know, but as long as the developers are lobbying city politicians, it is a mantra we need to scream above the roar of the hammers and the highway. Quite simply, the suburbs are killing us. Vote wisely.