Surrey resident group plans legal action in bid to stop road extension through local park
Opponents of a plan to extend a road through a southern section of Surrey’s Bear Creek Park are now preparing to take legal action to stop the project from going ahead.
On Monday, city council was scheduled to consider approving the awarding of the construction contract for the 84th Avenue extension, which will connect the road between King George Boulevard and 140th Street.
On the project’s website, the city said the vehicle lanes will be built “within the existing road allowance and under the BC Hydro power lines, not in the Bear Creek Park Reservation Area.”
The project is intended to help ease traffic pressures in other areas, including the intersection of 88th Avenue and King George Boulevard.
Sebastian Sajda with the local residents group Friends of Bear Creek Park said the road extension will “disrupt the entire ecosystem.”
“A lot of people have said that these southern lands of Bear Creek Park aren’t really that important because they’re undeveloped,” he said. “But really, this where all the critters live.”
His group is planning to seek a court injunction in an attempt to halt the project. Construction is slated to get underway this summer.
“One of our biggest issues was the public consultation, which wasn’t much of a consultation,” he said. “It wasn’t asking whether we wanted the road, it was asking what we wanted the road to look like, and we just think that’s unacceptable.”
A report from the city’s general manager of engineering last May indicated a project survey that was issued sought feedback on “road design, cycling and pedestrian connections, improvements for park access and parking, and environmental enhancements opportunities,” and also included “open-ended comment boxes.”
Of the comments received, the report said 76 per cent did not express an opinion either way, while 16 per cent explicitly stated opposition, and eight per cent were supportive.
The report also noted the receipt of a hardcopy petition signed by 500 people in support of the project, the majority Surrey residents.
However, Surrey City Coun. Linda Annis said another petition was also presented to council bearing thousands of signatures against the project, and she wants the engineering department to look at other options to improve road safety.
“I think the mayor needs to put a pause on this. He needs to do proper public engagement,” she said. “Why would we put a road through an iconic park such as Bear Creek? It makes no sense to me.”
CTV News Vancouver requested to speak to Surrey’s mayor, but was told he was unavailable.
The extension route also crosses two salmon-bearing creeks. The city intends to build a bridge over one and a culvert at the other.
The environmental assessment also noted a small wetland area between the two waterways would be “partially disrupted” by the road. The city plans to mitigate the impact by creating a “large wetland pond” south of 84th Avenue, near an existing parking lot.
“It’s absolutely not a foregone conclusion,” Sajda said. “There’s a number of permits that the city has to file with both the provincial and federal authorities, and we’re also preparing a legal challenge to stop this road.”
While regulatory approval still has to be sought for some of the work, the city plans to start construction outside of environmentally sensitive areas first, and intends to complete the road by next fall.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Nearly 20 hours after a man climbed and remained perched on top of the Reconciliation Bridge in downtown Calgary, the situation came to a peaceful resolution.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.