These photos taken on Sunday July 17 show the historic Glenrose Cannery, on the Fraser River in North Delta, after one week of demolishion by the Provincial Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure. This vandalism is part of preparations for building the controversial South Fraser Perimeter Road (SFPR) freeway, part of the Gateway freeway expansion program. The cannery opened in 1896 as a fishers cooperative and was the last working cannery in the Lower Mainland. It is the last remaining cannery on the Delta side of the Fraser River.

"The Glenrose Cannery is an important part of Delta and BC’s history, and should be preserved as such,” said Richelle Giberson, a North Delta resident. “But even more important is the 9000 year old archaeology site on which the Cannery stands. This site is so significant that archaeologists recommended protecting it under the Heritage Conservation Act. Instead, it looks as though the BC government would rather destroy the site to build a new highway for shipping goods to Walmarts across North America.”

In May, Bertha Williams of the Tsawwassen Band, Coast Salish Nation and William Burnstick, of the Cree Sioux First nations, launched a lawsuit to stop construction of the South Fraser Perimeter Road through the area which contains many ancient human remains. Williams and Burnstick claim the road will cause irreparable damage to sacred grounds including undisturbed deposits dating back 9,000 years, as well as threatening the salmon First Nations people still depend on.

“This is the destruction of our past and future, and has to be stopped” said Burnstick. “A society that paves over its history and pollutes the planet has no future.”

Find out more, and get involved, at www.StopThePave.org