NEWS AND EVENTS

June/July 2006
The City of Vancouver has recently passed a motion to increase the number of food producing community garden plots by 2010 (the year of the Winter Olympics in Vancouver). The goal of 2010 new plots is an exciting one, as it registers the City's support for the contributions community gardeneing makes to urban agriculture, community building, and environmental education.

Nevertheless, while the new initiative promises new community garden plots along 6th avenue (for example the new Pine Community Garden to the east of Burrard), the status and future of the vegetable gardens and community green spaces along the former CP Rail tracks on the Arbutus Corridor has not always been so positive. Below are our postings concerning development proposals in this area that have threatened the gardens'existence in the past.

February 2006 posting
News on CPR and the Arbutus Corridor
Media attention in January of 2006 pointed out that the site, Arbutus Lands advertising a 'visioning' process for development of the Arbutus Corridor--is in fact backed by CP Rail. An article in the Vancouver Sun, Friday January 13 2006, p. B6 discusses some of the debates around development of the corridor.

The "visioning" process sponsored by CP Rail involves a workshop at St Augustines on Feb 4th. Interested participants need to sign up in advance.

Summer and Fall 2005

Check out this site created by a resident who lives near Cypress Community Garden for some links to the Summer 2005 results of the design contest sponsored by SPEC focusing on usage and transportation options for the Arbutus Corridor (some entries maintained the existing community gardens; unfortunately the winning design did away with much of Cypress Community Garden). There are also links to recent debates and court decisions concerning development of the Arbutus Corridor. And some great photos too.

Fall 2003 posting

In the Fall of 2003 our garden posted this call for support:
Cypress Community Garden is located on City of Vancouver property along the Arbutus Corridor. The Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) has also been using land along the same Corridor for over 100 years. We have been neighbours since the Garden's inception in 1995, but on September 5th, 2003, CPR publicly announced its intention to sell its land, giving the City of Vancouver and other levels of government 60 days to make a bid on the property. If a government does not buy the land it goes up for public sale, in which case real estate development is likely and our public green space will be lost.

We need your support! (No, we're not asking you for money.) We need you to let City officials know that we need green space along the Arbutus Corridor at 6th Avenue (the location of both Cypress and Maple Community Gardens) to keep our urban area livable. Please voice your concern! Email the Mayor and Council at: mayorandcouncil@city.vancouver.bc.ca and ask them to preserve this area as green space, not just for another few months, but for many years to come!