These Bluffs Are Our Land - To Be Clear, Not Your Land
"Leave me! Take my man servant! Take him!” – and with those words from the back of a police car, Dennis Perry’s dreams of being an activist were dashed.Perry, a former investment banker, failed Green Party candidate, million dollar home owner and the Captain of the West Vancouver pre-Olympic Agitation Team or "The Coalition to Save Eagleridge Bluffs", spent the last 39 days in a trial run with his Team. Their goal? Well according to their Mission Statement, "...to preserve the unique biodiversity of Eagleridge Bluffs, the Larson Creek Wetlands and the Baden-Powell Centennial Trail that connects them."
Much like the great "Rock, Paper, Scissors" environmental kafuffle of last month, this sounds cute and all - but the "biodiversity" stuff is wrong and apparently, so was their purpose.
“The environment?” scoffed one protester. “Who cares? We just do not want common folks coming so close to our homes. I mean, isn't it enough we hire them to serve us and now they want to drive on a public road? Ridiculous.”
This culturally diverse group of white, beige, cream and even vanilla West Van Bluffists came together to allow their servants and wait staff participate in this demonstration - a demonstration with a profound purpose.
“We were told that once the land was bulldozed for our mansions, private clubs and secret nuclear fallout bunkers that we would be able to have the Bluffs as our private perfect human breeding ground.”, a spokesperson sobbed. "We were lied to and now it's all gone."
Alas, this was not to be and this has left a bad taste in the mouths of these dedicated latte swilling protesters. Some of whom only got eight hours of sleep each evening in their beds at their homes, had to drive themselves to the protest site each day or had limited access to their staff to retrieve coffee from Starbucks.
Yesterday was the final chapter in this tale which saw three different courts point out - and we are paraphrasing here - "Your whiny, self righteous, hypocritical activism coupled with your bogus environmental science is wasting the court's time. Go home - either your West Van home, your summer home, your chateau in Whistler, or your cabin in the woods - we don't care, just stop your crap."
"This is a slippery slope," another protester pointed out of these legal rulings. "What's next? A minimum wage for workers? Or perhaps a democratic election system where non-rich folks and even non-whites are allowed to vote? Well, I'm sorry my friend, that is not MY West Vancouver...not my West Van whatsoever!!"
Next week - the complete results from the 39 day Bluffs Olympics.
posted by BC Poly Blog at 7:29 AM
15 Comments:
so sad they had to close down Camp Chardonay . . . it was so enjoyable to watch them whinging & whining about everything but their own NIMBY life style.
Where was Jinny Sims ?? Where was David Suzuki ?? Where was the BC Fed ??
Maybe they should have linked the road construction to Kyoto - at least then the international moonbat brigades might have provided some "help"
It takes paradise to put up a parking lot.
ahhh but paradise is two lanes of fresh blacktop, a tank full of gas, a hot babe in the passenger seat and 250 HP of fun, fun, fun.
Out of respect, I won't toot my horm when I drive by their mansions on the bluff.
I find it amusing that after his 35 years in the financial investment business Dennis Perry now has a conscience. Many of the businesses he invested in were forest and mining companies and the large dividends he received went to helping him purchase his million dollar home. Can you say hypocrite?
I especially loved Betty Krawczyk. Live on TV she says she will be going to jail and staying there because "she doesn't sign undertaking to stay away. That would be hypocritical" she added. Twenty minutes later she is hauled away and within the hour she is released on an undertaking.
I wonder about this matter. Were these people in civil or criminal contempt of court? If the former, then their assets are fair game for the construction company. If the latter then they are safe from civil action but end up with a crimnial record. That would look great on Mr. Perry's resume.
I think you are all being short sighted. I can guarantee you that the million dollar home owners were nowhere near the area. The saddest thing is that a legitimate environmental concern is simply laughed off because the community is affluent. Perhaps some exploration of the area would show you that the truly wealthy areas of West Van are in the eastern part. The bluffs are barely within the western part of West Van (historically known as the slum of West Van). But the reality is that it doesn't matter how wealthy the surronding area is. Go to the website and see the people who are publicly backing this fight. By the way, David Suzuki is top of the list, followed by reputable biologists, climatologists, the Sierra Club just to name a few. You must all be very young to lack perspective on this issue. Why was it okay to protect the Burns Bog, but not the Eagleridge Bluffs and Larsen Creek wetlands? Why do you find humour in the eradication of the endangered arbutus stands? Are frogs too ugly to merit protection? Ask yourself, did the government really gut the environmental laws and then smile to the camera about how this decision is within these same weak laws?
Ask yourselves.
Those protesters need to get a life. It's good that the highway project is going to continue, despite delays.
Cut the environmental crap. Much of global warming is cyclical. Same thing happened in the 16th century but no one is blaming cars and pollution on that.
We do have to go after ethanol additives though. All gas companies should be forced to go to 10% ethanol now.
nnonymous said "Why was it okay to protect the Burns Bog, but not the Eagleridge Bluffs and Larsen Creek wetlands?"
He should learn that just because land is "wet" doesn't make it a "Wetland"
The only difference between Eagle ridge Bluffs and where these protestors live is that their land has houses on it. This land in question is and for a long time has been "zoned" for development. It is not the Great Bear Rainforest"
As for the liability factor. Rumour has it that the costs of the delay are actually $250,000.00 per day at 39 days comes to a tidy 10 million. Add to that the court costs if this is deemed to be a civil matter as opposed to criminal.
I seem to remember some of those abortion protestors from 15 years ago almost lost their homes over their civil dissobedience. The circumstances appear to be very similar here. Hope they thought of that last Thursday when the decided it would be a good day to be arrested.
Those abortion protestors were turfed out of their little sittin within one day of sitting down. They went from injunction, to enforcement order to arrest warrant all in the space of 24 hours. I am really curious why it took 39 days to do the paper work to move these latte-swilling eco-thugs? If Kitwit construction doesn't go after them for damages then there really special treatment being doled out. Even Svend Robinson served his time for his Clayoquot activities. It was hard to write that but it does have a "ring" of truth to it.
Hi there -
Just one comment to add here, when anonymous said that "this is not the Great Bear Rainforest"
Actually to Robert Kennedy and the NRDC who were part of the fight to save the Great Bear Rainforest, it is the same thing. They are publicly backing the Eagleridge Coalition. Just a little fact checking for you.
I can't change anyone's mind, and it _is_ sad that this issue is dismissed. It _is_ about more than the environment. It seems we have been beaten down by government corruption to the point of acceptance.
One other thing - the use of ethanol is a good step, but beware the interest groups in the US lobbying to use corn for its production - it is inefficient to produce to the point of negating its benefit.
Who thinks the Eagle Ridge Bluffs is about the environment? It is not about a government "beating" the people down.
Look those protester, other than those who protest for the sake of protesting, are there because they don't want to precious backyards used for a necessary upgrade to the Sea-to-Sky Highway.
Those people have nothing in common with.
Down with NIMBYism!!!
Wow! Ya struck a nerve hear Poly. Never new we had so many bleeding heart enviros on here.
Look you guys, You wouldn't have your car, your fancy cloths, your imported bike, STARBUCKS, or access to the Whistler area at all - without PROGRESS!
There has to be a balnce. This Project has that.
Now get outa-the-way or GO TO JAIL.
If you tell me that this pack of Eagleridge loonies are soiling their pants over a frog and a bird both of which have a 90% chance of ending up in the belly of a predator before the season ends, then you are a good candidate for chemical intervention.
Wetlands? That's a euphemism for swamp! This has nothing to do with environment, trees, or frogs. If it was then the entire West Vancouver hillside would never have been logged out to make way for these million dollar eye-sores that can be seen from Coquitlam. Greenpeace and no end of environmental groups would have been all over this if it was an environmental issue. No, it's about some-one's personal interests being affected in the future. The highway would affect any future plans for development in the area. (Eagleview)?
No one is going to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on bogus public scare campaigns and tantrum throwing if there isn't something in it for them. Capitalists don't become capitalists by worrying about frogs. How many of these people showed up in the woods to stop a chainsaw that was about to drop a tree that had an owl in it? None!.......jesus.
The courts and the public have seen through all of this and that's why the highway will be built and the protesters can live with the stigma of the embarrassment.
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