Liam Lahey
Contributing Writer

A flabbergasted North
Vancouver city council
didn’t quite know what
to make of Dan
Murray’s concerns
March 1 over the
explosive population
growth in the Lower
Mainland.

Murray, who identified
himself as a history teacher
with the North Vancouver
school district, is a founding
member of the Lower
Mainland Sustainable
Population Group (LMSPG).

The soft-spoken
Vanconver resident is making
his rounds at various munici-
pal councils to raise his
group’s concerns over the dis-
tribution of the populace on
Canadian soil — particularly
in the Lower Mainland.

“My environmental group
js alarmed at the explosive
population growth in the

wer Mainland, its effects on
the environment, and future
growth plans,” Murray told
council.

“Over 600 hectares of
mountainside, greenspace and
agricultural land in the Lower
Mainland is being lost every
year to human expansion in
this smail area ... in the last 10
years around 300, 000 vehicles
have been added to the Lower
Mainland. The negative
effects of this staggering fig-
ure are to be seen every-
where.”

Murray added the popula-
tion has grown from 1.3 mil-
lion to 2 million in the last 10

“This is another staggerin:
statistic considering 3 tool
130 years for this area’s popu-
lation to get to 1.3 million,”
he said.

“What is even more alarm-
ing is that there are plans to
double this 2 million Bgure in
the next 20 years and munici-
pal, town and city councils are
teing told growth is
inevitable.”

As looks ranging from dis-
belief to shock crossed the
faces of most counciliors,
Murray asked council to hold
a public referendum on
whether or not action should

_ be taken.

“Is there a limit to the
number of peaple you would
have living in your house? Of
course there is. Consider the

. Lower Mainland as your

house,” he continued.

; “Pd like to sce all munici-
’ palities in rhe Lower Mainiand
stare to take action ... We rec-
ommend North Vancouver
hold a series of public hearings
on the desirability of popula-
tion growth, conduct some
basic research to determine
the environmental costs of
population growth, arid cli-
max the hearings and the
research with a municipal ref-
crendum to be held cither just
before or on the day of the
municipal “elections in
November 1999.”

Murray added the city
‘should investigate the possi-
bility of setting up a land trust
within the area so citizens
could donate land to the city
for environmental purposes.

Ail of the councillors took
turns peppering Murray with
a barrage of questions the
increasingly flustered teacher
had diffic shy answering.

“You’re going to have to

_ deal with this question sooner
or fater,” he responded timid-
ly. “Too many people live here

(in the Lower Mainland)
now.”

Coun. Barbara Sharp’s line
of questioning was particular-
ly biting. “Do you think pea-
ple look for scapegoats?” she

asked Murray. “Uh ..
bly,” he responded.

“Do you believe we live in
a free, democratic society?”
she queried. “1 think I can see
where this is leading,” Murray
replied. Murray, who wasn’t
born in the Vancouver area,
told Sharp he came from a
family of 10.

“I tell. people I lived in

. proba-

China because the house I
lived in was too small, too
many kids,” he said.

Although Murray had all
the facts and figures to sup-
port his argument, he was ata
loss to offer council a defini-
tive “solution” to the popula-
tion growth dilemma he per-
ceives.

Last week Murray present-

Wednesday, March 10, 1999 - North Shore News - 17

Debate demanded on population growth

ed his concerns to the North
Vancouver District council
and he’s scheduled to appear
before Burnaby city hall next
Monday ( March 8).

Coun. John Braithwaite
asked Murray point-blank if
he had the power to do so,
would he stop immigrants
from entering Canada.

“Most people who come

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to Canada go to urban areas
and that needs to be restrict-
ed,” he replied.

“Immigrants
33% of our
increase.”

Following the verbal pum-
meling Murray took from the
city council, he told the
News, “I know I'm right, Pil
just keep at it.”

represent
population