URGENT ACTION BULLETIN Public Comment Period Begins on Gateway Program’s Port Mann/Highway 1 Application for an Environmental Assessment Certificate DEADLINES Nov 13 public comment period ends Sept 29 last open house and Q&A session I am writing to urge individuals and community groups in Burnaby to get involved in the formal public comment period now underway on the Ministry of Transportation’s Gateway Program application for an Environmental Assessment Certificate. The Ministry of Transportation’s Gateway Program has applied for an Environmental Assessment Certificate for the Port Mann/Highway 1 Project (PMH1). The PMH1 Project includes widening of the highway, twinning the Port Mann Bridge, upgrading interchanges and improving access and safety on Highway 1 from the McGill interchange in Vancouver to 216th Street in Langley, a distance of approximately 37 kilometres. The project also includes proposed congestion reduction measures such as HOV lanes, transit and commercial vehicle priority access, and a bridge toll, intended to pay for the project and moderate growth in traffic over time. The project is subject to review under the British Columbia Environmental Assessment Act, S.B.C. 2002, c.43 and the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act. The formal public comment period begins September 13, 2007 and ends on November 13, 2007. During this time the public is encouraged to review the application and provide comments to the Environmental Assessment Office (EAO). The application will be available online at www.eao.gov.bc.ca and at select public libraries by September 13, 2007. Written submissions will be posted on the EAO web site. Please indicate if you do not wish your personal information (address, e-mail address or phone number) to be posted. Proponent responses to written comments received during the public comment period will be posted to the EAO web site. Form letters, petitions or other submissions that only state a position for or against a given project cannot generally be considered. As part of the public comment period, five public open houses will be held in communities along the corridor. These meetings will be followed by a one-hour question-and-answer session with Ministry of Transportation staff, consultants and representatives from the EAO. For more information, please visit the Ministry of Transportation web site at www.gatewayprogram.bc.ca. Library Locations for Copies of Application and Supporting Studies BURNABY Burnaby Public Library Metrotown Branch 6100 Willingdon Avenue, Burnaby (604) 436-5410 Hours: Mon-Fri 9 AM to 9 PM Saturday 9 AM to 6 PM Sunday 1 PM to 5 PM VANCOUVER Vancouver Central Library 350 West Georgia Street, Vancouver (604) 331-3603 Hours: Mon-Thurs 10 AM to 9 PM Fri - Sat 10 AM to 6 PM Sunday 12 PM to 5 PM OPEN HOUSES BURNABY Thursday, September 27 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM Executive Hotel & Conference Centre 4201 Lougheed Hwy, Burnaby VANCOUVER Tuesday, September 25 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM Italian Cultural Centre 3075 Slocan Street, Vancouver COQUITLAM Saturday, September 29 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM Executive Plaza Hotel 405 North Road, Coquitlam Bill Siksay, MP Burnaby-Douglas 124 Confederation, House of Commons Ottawa ON K1A 0A6 (613) 996-5597 4506 Dawson Street Burnaby, BC V5C 4C1 (604) 291-8863 Siksay.B@parl.gc.ca www.billsiksay.ca