Everyone on the North Shore was in a tizzy Friday after the Canadian Taxpayers’ Federation’s Jordan Bateman dug up a decade-and-a-half-old agreement to close the Lions Gate Bridge to vehicle traffic, dedicating it for pedestrians and cyclists.
Asinine. Absurd. Preposterous. Or at least it would be if there were any chance of it happening.
The entire plan was contingent on a new “third crossing,” which never had a hope in hell of happening. The last time we checked, the only people getting a new crossing anytime soon are in Delta.
That such a plan was ever devised without the consultation of the North Shore’s municipalities is indeed insane but the fact that we’re discussing it today as if it’s a real potential is arguably worse.
Government archives are filled to the brim with reports, agreements, recommendations, preferred options, memorandums of understanding and what-have-yous that have been long shelved and forgotten about, and for good reason. They were stupid or untenable or contingent upon things that could not happen — just like this plan.
Bateman is certainly smart enough to know this but saw an opportunity to do what he does best: getting people angry with cherry-picked information, totally lacking in context, and using it to foment mistrust in government.
With some cold water hopefully dumped on the white-hot anger ginned up by this ridiculous story, we wish everyone, the media included, would apply an ounce of critical thinking before repeating this nonsense.
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