Assessments done for road?

Re: 'We are aiming to stop this road': Big crowd at Burtch Road extension open house (Castanet, May 8)

Many people believe building new roads, or extending or widening existing roads, will alleviate traffic congestion. But is it true or just an urban myth?

Building more roads often leads to more traffic, not less, with congestion levels eventually returning. That is because of a phenomenon called "induced demand," which is when increasing the supply of something makes people want it more.

The City of Kelowna's webpage on Munson Pond Park states it is now a “red listed” (endangered) ecological community and ranked by the B.C. Conservation Data Centre as one of the rarest in B.C.

In Kelowna city manager Doug Gilchrist's April 10 letter, he wrote, in part: "As for environmental concerns raised in (Linda Garner’s) letter, the city has conducted a thorough environmental impact assessment to protect the natural terrain."

After Castanet reporter Cindy White interviewed senior transportation consultant Chad Williams, she wrote: "While work is set to begin soon, environmental assessments are still underway. Williams said initial assessments are done but the seasonality of migratory bird behaviour means the project team will be monitoring on-site throughout the road construction."

So, has the city conducted a “thorough” environmental impact assessment? It appears the city has only completed initial environmental assessments through a third party company, McElhanney.

At the May 6 public information session on the Burtch Road and Hollywood Road extensions, I talked to Patty Burt, senior biologist for McElhanney. She said an environmental overview assessment of the Burtch Road extension was submitted to city staff in November 2024.

Burt also told me recently, "other subject matter experts have been retained by the city project to fill the data gaps identified through the environmental overview assessment process.” For example, experts who study raptors, owls, bats, badgers, snakes and waterfowl.

It boggles the mind that the city didn't hire McElhanney in March 2024, since that was the time to start collecting data and making direct observations of Munson Pond Park's wildlife, particularly migratory birds. Migratory birds typically return to Munson Pond during the spring, with some species arriving as early as March.

Munson Pond is a significant stopover for various migratory birds. In summer, there's a mix of both resident and returning summer birds and some species passing through on their way north. In the fall, one can observe migrant geese, such as Canada Geese, Snow Geese, Greater White-fronted Geese, and Cackling Geese. The pond also attracts rare bird species such as fieldfares.

Members of the public have only until Tuesday, May 13 to provide input to the city on the Burtch Road and Hollywood Road extensions, after which I assume two separate reports will be compiled.

Will those reports be available to the public on the city's website? Will there be follow-up hearings based on the public's comments, before either road extension work begins?

Why hasn't McElhanney's 2024 environmental overview assessment been posted on the city's website? Is this an example of the transparency and accountability Mayor Tom Dyas keeps telling us about in his columns and interviews? He says how important it is for every Kelowna resident to have access to information. Or are environmental assessments only for the eyes of the city staff and city council?

About 2,700 people have signed the Stop Burtch Road Extension petition.

Have both an environmental overview assessment and an in-depth environmental impact assessment been completed for the Hollywood Road extension? Last October, city council unanimously approved rezoning about 40 acres of property adjacent to Highway 97 between John Hindle Drive and Carney Pond, which is another sensitive urban wetland.

Both road extension projects should be postponed.

It's time for Kelowna city staff and city council to turn over their cards. I won't be surprised if at least one environmental group, such as West Coast Environmental Law, Ecojustice, Sierra Club Canada or the David Suzuki Foundation, takes more than a passing interest in the future of Munson Pond and Carney Pond.

David Buckna, Kelowna