MEDIA RELEASE
For Immediate Release April 13, 2011
Mass Direct Action Planned for Earth Day
DELTA – Earth Day has become known as a day to quietly plant trees. But this year concerned community members are planning to reforest a freeway construction site on the banks of the Fraser River. Many plan to step up a campaign of disruption against what they call a climate crime.
“We will be planting trees on ‘Mother Earth Day’, but to demonstrate that we are fed up with battling asthma and cancers, we won’t be planting them in a park” explains PJ Lilley, a Surrey organizer with StopThePave.org. “As a mom with kids at a school near the highway ‘fall-out zone’, I want to see a stop to the insanity of paving over our last green spaces on the Fraser River just to bring more trucks and pollution to our communities. Christy Clark’s government is not putting ‘families first’, money must go to transit, schools and health care instead.”
The province is spending an estimated $1.2 to 2 billion on the new South Fraser freeway and is planning to spend about $1 billion more on the North Fraser Perimeter Road through New Westminster. "TransLink will be cutting bus service starting on Earth Week to save a few million, meanwhile the province is spending billions on freeways which increase our dependency on cars and tar sands oil," explains Bob Ages of the Council of Canadians national board. “1950’s thinking won’t solve the problems of the 21st century.”
"We must stop spending public money on making the climate crisis worse, and shift the money to solutions like public transit and electric trains" says Eric Doherty with the Council of Canadians Vancouver / Burnaby Chapter. “It’s time for all concerned people to take a stand against these freeway projects that are cooking our planet.”
WHEN: Beginning at 2 pm on Friday April 22 (Mother Earth Day/Good Friday).
WHERE: Meet at Annieville Supermarket, 10996 River Road, Delta. (Take the 640 bus from Scott Road SkyTrain or Ladner Exchange)
WHO: This action is an initiative of local residents and climate justice activists from StopThePave.org, local Council of Canadians chapters, and the Critical Criminology Working Group at Kwantlen University, and is currently endorsed by 17 more community groups listed at www.StopThePave.org
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Media Inquiries:
Bob Ages, Delta resident and Council of Canadians national board member robert ages robertages at dccnet.com
PJ Lilley, Surrey mother, member of StopthePave.org skype id: pj.lilley
email: pj at riseup dot net
Eric Doherty, Council of Canadians Vancouver/Burnaby Chapter 604 877 1223 edoherty at uniserve.com
Selected Earth Week Transit Service Cuts:
26 Joyce Stn/29th Ave Stn
27 Joyce Stn/Kootenay Loop
29 Elliot/29th Ave. Stn
Permanent
For all trips after 10 p.m., service will be reduced from 30 mins to 60 mins.
101 Lougheed Stn/22nd St. Stn
Permanent
All trips after 8 p.m., service is reduced from 30 mins to 60 mins.
Mon. - Sat. - no service after 1 a.m.
110 Metrotown Stn/Lougheed Stn
Permanent
All trips after 10 p.m., service reduced from 30 mins to 60 mins.
123 Brentwood Stn/New Westminster Stn
Permanent
Saturday from start of service until 8 a.m., service reduced from 15 mins to 30 mins.
Sunday/Holiday from start of service until 9 a.m., service reduced from 15 mins to 30 mins.
134 Brentwood Stn/Lake City Stn
136 Brentwood Stn/Lougheed Stn
Permanent
All trips after 10 p.m., service reduced from 30 mins to 60 mins.
151 Coquitlam Stn/Lougheed Stn
Permanent
All trips after 8 p.m., service reduced from 30 mins to 60 mins.
Sunday/Holidays, first eastbound and first westbound trips discontinued.
152 Coquitlam Stn/Lougheed Stn
Permanent
All trips after 8 p.m., service reduced from 30 mins to 60 mins.
Sunday/Holidays, first eastbound and first westbound trips will start approx. 30 mins later.
154 Braid Stn/22nd Street Stn
155 Braid Stn/22nd Street Stn
Permanent
All trips after 9 p.m., service reduced from 30 mins to 60 mins.
169 Coquitlam Stn/Braid Stn
Permanent
Saturday from start of service until 7 a.m., service reduced from 15 mins to 30 mins.
Sunday/Holidays from start of service until 8 a.m., service reduced from 15 mins to 30 mins.
407 Bridgeport/Gilbert
Permanent
All trips after 10 p.m., service reduced from 30 mins to 60 mins.
402 Richmond-Brighouse Stn/Two Road
Permanent
Mon. - Fri. from 6 a.m. - 7 a.m., service reduced from 10 mins to 12 mins.
All trips after 10 p.m., service reduced from 30 mins to 60 mins.
http://www.translink.ca/en/Schedules-and-Maps/Transit-Service-Changes
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