Friday April 22: Join the Wave Against the Pave!

Calling all residents, students, parents, elders, streamkeepers, treeplanters, guerilla gardeners, blockaders, rebels, climate defenders, farmers and freeway fighters!

 
As chainsaws roar and bulldozers get set to roll on the controversial $2 billion South Fraser Perimeter Road freeway (SFPR), join local residents and community groups to stand up for climate justice! 

Last October, hundreds of people dug up the freeway construction site in Surrey with shovels and wheelbarrows, and in December we used sand from the SFPR to build a dike blocking the provincial cabinet offices. Now it's time to step up the campaign of mass direct action against climate crime. We need to turn up the heat, in order to turn down the heat.

WHAT & WHEN: Mass Direct Action against Climate Crime, beginning at 2 pm on Friday April 22 (Mother Earth Day). Actions may continue over multiple days on this long weekend and beyond. Like our previous actions, it will be non-disruptive to area residents, even as we disrupt continuation of the South Fraser Perimeter Road freeway (SFPR). There will be a variety of ways people can get involved and demonstrate their support, including roles with little or no legal risk. All are welcome to participate.

WHERE: Meet at Annieville Supermarket, 10996 River Road, Delta. (Take the 640 bus from Scott Road Skytrain/Ladner Exchange, or the 312 bus from Scott Road Skytrain/Scottsdale Exchange) Call 604-355-2771 for walking directions from there.

Note: This was the original meeting place.  The camp is located at 10765 River Rd.


Ride the Wave Against the Pave!

 

If you are planning to attend the Vancouver Earth Day Parade, a group bike ride to the action will be departing at noon from Napier Green, (Napier St. and Commercial Drive) near the end of the parade route. The 27 km ride should take less than 2 hours at a moderate pace.

FREE BUS TICKETS AND LUNCH are available to those who want to go from the Parade to the Action - check in at the Stop the Pave table at the Britannia Oval, for the first 80 takers!

A series of public "Teach-Ins" to help plan the action were held on March 19 in Delta, March 26 in Vancouver, and April 9 in Surrey. Attendance at these teach-ins is not required to attend the action. All are welcome!
 

WHO: This is an initiative of climate justice activists from GatewaySucks.org, local Council of Canadians chapters, the Critical Criminology Working Group and others. We welcome your involvement in the planning process, especially at a teach-in before the action (see above). We seek endorsements and input from other organizations, and your help in mobilizing your friends, neighbours, community groups or affinity group to join us!

WHY: Now under legal challenge in federal court, the estimated $2 billion proposed SFPR freeway would greatly increase greenhouse gas emissions, pave invaluable farmland, scar the banks of the Fraser River, pollute elementary school playgrounds, and damage indigenous heritage sites. This freeway is an irresponsible waste of public money, and many similar projects have been stopped before. The SFPR has already been "downgraded" due to lack of funds, and dubbed a "white elephant" in the mainstream press. We will emphasize the need to shift resources from climate crimes like freeways to public transit, and to protect communities from flooding and other effects of global warming. Read more in our Q & A.

Endorsed by: Against Port Expansion, Bridgeview Community Action Group, Car Free Vancouver, Citizens Against Urban Sprawl Society, Forest Protection Allies, Friends of the UBC Farm, Indigenous Action Movement, Lily Point Defenders, Livable Region Coalition, No One Is Illegal, Pedal Revolutionary Radio, Rising Tide North America, Root Force, South Fraser Action Network, Streams of Justice, Sunbury Neighbourhood Association, Transformative Communities Project, UBC Social Justice Centre, Unitarian Church of Vancouver Environment Committee, Van.Act!, Vancouver Island Community Forest Action Network, Voters Taking Action on Climate Change, Wild Salmon First, Women Elders in Action, Youth Taking Action on Gateway, add your group's endorsement now!

CONTACT: Send endorsements and questions to info@stopthepave.org or call 604 877 1223, and visit us at StopThePave.org

TO CONTACT THE ACTION (or if you are lost) call 604-355-2771.

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UPDATE April 7: This action is already receiving extensive media coverage, and the push is on now to get the word out to every possible neighbourhood. Posters and leaflets are available for all at these locations:

• Burns Bog Conservation Society, 4-7953 120th Street, Delta (Tuesday-Saturday)
• Spartacus Books, 684 East Hastings Street, Vancouver (7 days per week)

You can also download the poster here and leaflet here. Weekly outreach meet-ups are happening for leafleting, postering and door-knocking. Drop us a line at info@stopthepave.org to get involved. Don't forget to hit the facebook event and invite your friends.

REQUEST FOR DONATIONS:

Please donate now to support this action! We can squeeze a lot of action out of a few bucks. Click here to donate via PayPal to info@stopthepave.org (or contact us to make alternate arrangements)

We also need donations of the following items. To arrange drop-off or pick-up, call 604 877 1223 (North of the Fraser) or 604 588 4203 (South of the Fraser)

- pop-up shelters and tents
- large water containers
- burn barrels or fire rings
- dry firewood
- outdoor chairs and tables
- flashlights and work lights (preferably LED)
- extension cords
- tarps, ropes and bungee cords
- blankets and cots
- banner making materials (sheets, paints, paintbrushes)
- food: rice, grains, beans, sugar, peanut butter, jam, tea, coffee, canned and non-perishable food and beverages
- pots, pans, dishes, cups, utensils, yoghurt containers
- cooler boxes for food
- volleyball or badminton nets
- beach balls and other outdoor games
- first aid supplies

Thanks for your support.

Let's kick off a hot summer of resistance!