Update: Burrard Street Bridge Goes Ahead

By: Kevin Cham, alumni

It’s been called a “War Against Wheels” by The Province but nevertheless the Burrard Street Bridge Cycling lane trial is going ahead; despite an ongoing negative media campaign by several major newspapers and radio stations.

The final decision was made by Vancouver City Council on May 7th, 2009 to proceed with a single lane reallocation on the bridge. The outside car lane on the southbound side will become a cycle lane. In addition, the pathway (currently shared between pedestrians and bicycles) on the northbound side of the bridge will become bicycle only. Pedestrians will be expected to cross on the western sidewalk.

The Shock Doctrine Review

By Kevin Chan, Alumni

If you are familiar with Naomi Klein’s bestselling non-fiction No Logo, you probably already have a good idea about the style, and calibre of writing that you might expect to be reading in her latest novel, The Shock Doctrine. Published in 2007, it is a literal behemoth consisting of over 560 pages of meticulous research and mind-numbing fact after mind-numbing figure.

Be forewarned, Klein herself has stated that No Logo is equivalent to a “childhood bedtime story” when compared to The Shock Doctrine.

Burrard Street Bridge Two Lane Trial

By: Kevin Chan, Alumni

On March 3rd 2009, Vancouver City Council will have to decide whether or not to implement a trial that will test new bike lanes across the Burrard Street Bridge starting this spring and running late into the fall. “City Council has set a list of transportation priorities in the following order: pedestrian, bicycle, transit, movement of goods, and private automobile,” clearly placing alternative transportation ahead of the automobile, according to the city website. The plan keeps with the city’s goal of having bicycles used for 10% of all trips by 2010.

Democracy in Action: Coaliton Yes!

by Kevin Chan

It seems like you need a political glossary to read the headlines in a Canadian newspaper these days. Words like ‘prorogue,’ which half of us probably didn’t even know existed, have been flying out of the television, off the radio, and screaming at us from the headlines of local and national newspapers; all part of a massive public relations (PR) machine attempting to influence our opinions one way or another about the proposed NDP-Liberal Coalition. It’s something you are going to be hearing a lot more about in coming months. I attended a rally on Thursday December 4th in support of the Coalition. Before I get to the partisan part of the article, I’ll briefly explain the basis of our parliamentary system in order for you to understand why a coalition is perfectly legal and democratic. If you stick with me, I think you will come out the other side of this article more knowledgeable about how our government works and about some of the interesting political events taking place across the country.

Battle In Seattle

29 Nov 99-Seattle,WA: Five activists from the Rainforest Action Network climbed a giant crane and unfurled a 2000 square foot banner just before dawn today, protesting the World Trade Organization

Movie Review
by Kevin Chan

So first off I have to admit that I am always a bit skeptical of any movie with a title so obviously dripping with cheese as ‘Battle in Seattle.’ The rhyme really doesn’t do anything for me, and frankly I was worried that the movie would be as bad as the name. That being said, the film turned out to be anything but and was well worth watching.

No matter how you feel about capitalism, the WTO, police brutality, the anarchist black bloc, tree huggers, trade unionists, direct action, or if you have no opinion at all; I’d still recommend this film for 99 minutes of entertainment. If however you do have an opinion about any of the aforementioned, you are lucky because you can also consider it 99 minutes of education. It captures real footage from the streets of Seattle and has edited it seamlessly within the dramatization, giving the whole production an authentic feel.

Gateway to What?

by Kevin Chan

As a follow up to Peggy Lam’s article based on the Gateway Project (see Think Translink)…

Kevin attended a Gateway Project protest on Sept. 27th. Below is some background information followed by his experience at the rally.

WE DON’T WANT NO TRUCKIN’ FREEWAYS!

You might remember an article from last month’s issue about the Provincial Government’s proposed ‘Gateway Project.’ For those of you that don’t, the ‘Gateway Project’ is B.C.’s plan to increase economic growth and decrease congestion by building and expanding freeways (Highway 1), twinning the Port Mann Bridge, and expanding the Delta Port shipping terminal. They plan to develop a major freeway between Port Moody and Maple Ridge to be known as the North Fraser Perimetre Road (NFPR). A brand new freeway (SFPR) with travel from Delta Port terminal and travel along the South side of the Fraser cutting through the ecological area of Burns Bog before connecting to the new Golden Ears Bridge.

This project has been named “the most environmentally threatening highway mega-project in the history of British Columbia” by activists from gatewaysucks.org and has been likened to BC’s equivalent of the Alberta Tar Sands. Provincial Transportation Minister Kevin Falcon has claimed that “Gateway is a done deal,” and that the project is going ahead. Unfortunately for the Provincial Liberals’ upcoming election, hundreds if not thousands of citizens from across the Lower Mainland would disagree with that statement.

Now, for the protest…