West Van residents obstruct work on Five Creeks Project

West Vancouver residents and members of the West Vancouver Community Stakeholders group stopped the crews planning to work on the Five Creeks project on Dickinson Crescent and 31^st Street on July 15 in West Vancouver.

The group plans to obstruct work on the project at the same place tomorrow.

“We delayed the big pipe today and will continue to do so until we are slapped with an injunction and will then vigorously fight the injunction,” said Nigel Malkin, a member of the group.

The group’s stated goal is to keep residents informed about council decisions and hold the council accountable for their actions. Malkin said the legal, passive, non-confrontational protest was to draw the much-needed attention of the council, and such protests will continue until the council puts the project on hold and starts a dialogue with the residents.

The group members were able to stop the project because the court injunction prohibiting residents to obstruct work on the storm water pipe was only valid below 31^st Street on Marine Drive, Malkin said. He said the group has other legal ways to stop the project that are being explored, adding that District of West Vancouver should stop this project and have a dialogue with the residents.

“Can we please put this project on hold and wait until all documents are revealed and any other routes or scenarios are looked at. It would be far better to work for an agreeable solution and not have a difficult time with this.  As we usually say it will only get worse,” he said.

The community, he says, is also concerned about development proposed on Jefferson Avenue, Gordon Avenue, on Esquimalt Road. The council, he alleges, has been secretive and high-handed and need to be held to a high bar on public engagement.

He points out to the most recent development application before the district, which, if approved, would allow for 390 units in Cedardale neighbourhood. “We are very concerned about this new development on Taylorwood. It is a massive development with 18 homes to be redeveloped for close to 400 homes. The original development application was for 150 homes, but they keep upping the ante,” he said.

“We will not tolerate their secretive deal making, heavy handed, closed meeting, lack of consultation, and nepotism practise of making decisions that have an effect on our community culture, homes, neighbourhoods, and ignore residents.