Several demonstrators gathered at a Surrey park Tuesday as crews began felling trees to make way for a new road that will cut through the peaceful greenspace.
"They've come in to start demolishing the park past the point of no return," said Laara Egan, a protester who has been visiting Hawthorne Park for decades. "Today is an assault on democracy."
As of Tuesday, four acres of the park became a construction zone that is expected to remain in place for the next two years, as workers build a two-lane road connecting Surrey City Centre to Guildford.
The 105 Avenue Connector project is intended to ease traffic on 104 Avenue in preparation for the proposed LRT construction in the area.
Egan and others, however, argue the new infrastructure will destroy the greenspace.
"I'm sad because this is such a beautiful park and to see a road going through it is just horrible to me," said Surrey resident Tracie Woodhams.
"I'm mad because the mayor and council are not listening to the people that live in the neighbourhood."
Surrey City Council unanimously approved the controversial project in early November. It argues plans for the expansion have undergone several revisions since the 1980s based on feedback from the public. The most recent version, the city says, will have the least impact on the park.
According to the City of Surrey's website, the negative environmental effects of the construction will be offset by a $3-million fund that will go towards enhancements to the park, including a wetland habitat for salmon rearing and additional pedestrian walkways.
The project will require 200 trees to come down, but the city says it will plant 450 more.
Surrey also wants to acquire five acres of adjacent land and to convert an existing parking lot into greenspace, amove that would increase the park's overall surface area by about an acre.
Some protesters, however, say they're not convinced by the city's promises to mitigate the damage the road will cause.
"They have all these things that they're promising, but they're just empty promises," said Steve Pettigrew.
In the past, the protesters have been joined by some big names such as environmentalist David Suzuki, who attended a rally last year and spoke about how important it is for residents to assert their right to a healthy environment.
"Surrey has endorsed the concept of a healthy environment. Now understand that nature is a huge part of that healthy environment, especially trees," Suzuki told CTV News at the time.
Now that the project has broken ground, the new roadway is expected to be completed by January 2020.
But the protesters say their fight isn't over.
"I will chain myself to a tree. I will stand in front of a bulldozer. I will do what I have to do to make myself feel that I've done all I could to stop this process," Woodhams said.
With files from CTV Vancouver's Michele Brunoro
