By Bill Cleverley, Victoria Times Colonist, 12 April 2007
When environmental activists established a "tree sit" in the path of Langford's Bear Mountain Interchange, Ben urged the CRD Board to lend its voice to protect Goldstream watershed and Skirt Mountain from urban sprawl
Local activists took to the treetops yesterday in their campaign to stop a planned $30-million Trans-Canada Highway interchange near Spencer Road in Langford.
“We’re hoping to have some direct influence. I feel people have been shut out of this process,” tree sitter Zoe Blunt said via cellphone from a platform high up the tree, off Leigh Road.
“There hasn’t been public consultation and participation. If we’re shut out we have to take whatever steps we can.”
Blunt said she and others were prepared to stay as long as it takes to get their message heard.
Mayor Stew Young said the tree sitting is unlikely to make any difference.
“They are on provincial land right now and it’s going to be a year or so before we get to the point of having to go there, so they can sit there as long as they want,” he said.
The alternative to the intersection is more vehicles backing up and idling through Goldstream Park, which is extremely harmful environmentally, Young said.
“They can make their statement, but the people of Langford support what we are doing.”
Victoria mayoral candidate Ben Isitt, addressing the Capital Regional District board yesterday, asked directors to go on record as opposing the interchange.
Isitt cited a number of reasons to reject the interchange and put effort and money into building alternative transportation links such as effective light rapid transit.
“There’s the impact of increased greenhouse gas emissions. There’s social justice issues related to that interchange to do with threatened mobile home parks. There’s endangered species and a Douglas fir forest. The Langford Lake cave is currently covered in flagging tape and spray paint and there’s a sensitive ecological area that will basically be blown up to make way for that project,” Isitt said.
“Opponents of the project are referring to it as the Bear Mountain interchange because from all the maps that are currently available, this development is designed primarily to serve the Bear Mountain project rather than the residents of Langford and the Western communities.”
Isitt said Langford has acquired properties along Leigh Road for the project even though provincial funding has not been approved. Langford believes the project will have regional benefit and is hoping the province will kick in $5 million toward the interchange.
CRD chairwoman Denise Blackwell said it’s primarily Langford and private developers’ money going into the interchange and she doesn’t believe a tree-sit will stop it.
“It doesn’t make sense to me. I don’t know what they are trying to prove. We all want LRT. We want transportation planning and I don’t know that sitting in a tree is going to achieve that,” said Blackwell, a Langford councillor.
The board took no action on Isitt’s request.
CRD director and Saanich Coun. Vic Derman, chairman of the CRD TravelChoices Select Committee, said Isitt is probably correct in that it’s not good transportation planning to build one interchange in isolation from all other transportation needs in the region.
Young said Saanich should fix its own problems in areas such as Tillicum before criticizing Langford.
“Obviously [Derman] doesn’t respect the wishes of Langford taxpayers,” Young said.
“I am trying to plan for the future and use some common sense. It needs to be dealt with and I would really like the support of other politicians in the region, but I don’t need it. If they are stupid about it, there’s not much I can do about it.”
