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SFU gondola plans grounded

» Project excluded from Metro Vancouver's regional transit improvement plan

Leah Bjornson
The Peak (SFU)

BURNABY (NUWire) — Metro
Vancouver mayors voted in

transit improvement plan on
June 12, but a lack of provision
for the Burnaby Mountain
gondola project has spurred
SFU groups to take action.

Simon Fraser Student
Society (SFSS), the Graduate
Student Society (GSS), and
Sustainable SFU (SSFU) issued
a press release regarding the
exclusion of the Burnaby
Mountain Gondola from the
proposed 10-year regional
transit plan.

Chardaye Bueckert, SFSS
president, explained the
groups’ reactions to the Peak:
“We weren't surprised, we
weren't overly shocked, but we
were definitely disappointed,

: given that the project is such a
: high cost-benefit ratio.”

Bueckert is one of several

: gondola proponents who

: has been advocating for the
: project’s construction since
favour of a $7.5-billion regional early 2010. The gondola—or,
: as SFU President Petter likes
: to refer to it, the Burnaby

: SkyBus—would run from

: Production Way - University
: Station directly to Burnaby

: Mountain.

The project would cost

: approximately $120 million

: and would reduce noise as well
: as air pollution of up to 7,000

: tonnes of greenhouse gases.

Although a business

: case analysis by CH2M Hill

: found that the gondola would
: generate substantial benefits
: to commuters and the region,
: estimated at 3.6 times its cost
: in dollar terms, TransLink

: decided against it as the
upfront cost would be $12

: million more than continuing
: torun buses to SFU’s Burnaby
: campus over the next 25 years.

Burnaby Mayor Derek

: Corrigan explained the

: omission to the Burnaby Now:

: “I wanted a more realistic,

: more focussed plan. If you

: keep adding items to a wish list
: then pretty soon it becomes

: so unrealistic that no one ever

: believes it will be done.”

Corrigan said the the

: decision was mainly based on
: economic feasibility. He said,

: “There's a lot of arguments

: being made about the gondola
: being more environmentally

: sound than the buses are, and
: I think there’s merit to that

: argument, but when it comes

: to financial, the argument on it :
: didn’t work.”

Proposals that were

: included in the list of potential
: transit initiatives include a
: new tolled four-lane Pattullo

: expected $10 million bus

: upgrade that will be needed
: by 2020/21 due to increased

: demand for buses, Bueckert
: feels that “it’s a no-brainer to

Have an idea for a story? Let us know!

Contact: Angela Espinoza, News Editor

Mnews@theotherpress.ca

www. theotherpress.ca

: Bridge, light rail transit lines

: in Surrey, an extension of the
: Millennium Line along the

: Broadway corridor to Arbutus,
: a 25 per cent increase in bus

: service, and maintenance

: and upgrades to the 2,300

: kilometres of the region’s

: major road network.

Nevertheless, Bueckert

: feels that the gondola, in

: combination with plans

: to expand the B-lines, for

: instance, “would be very

: complementary proposals.”

: According to the SFU groups’:
: joint press release, the gondola :
: would eliminate the need for
: the 135, 145, and 144,

: liberating 32 buses an hour at
: peak times.

Combined with the

I wanted a more
realistic, more
focussed plan. If
you keep adding
items to a wish

list then pretty
soon it becomes so
unrealistic that no
one ever believes it
will be done.

- Dereck Corrigan

: build this project.”

Despite its exclusion

: from the plan, Bueckert is

: optimistic about the ability

: of the SFU community to

: move this project forward. She
: said, “We're not deterred, and
: we're committed to this and

: we're going to keep pushing;

: however, we do not want to

: wait 20 years for this project.”

 

Douglas College president no longer resident

» Scott McAlpine suddenly leaves role as president of Douglas

Angela Espinoza
News Editor

Mi news
@theotherpress.ca

n June 17, New

Westminster media
outlets revealed that Scott
McAlpine had left his position
as president of Douglas College.
Specific reasons are currently
unknown, but Douglas’
director of marketing and
communications Dave Taylor
states that “personal reasons”
and “other opportunities” were
behind his departure.

McAlpine had been
president of Douglas College
since August 2009, which the
New Westminster Newsleader
reports followed a 20-year
career at Alberta’s Grande
Prairie Regional College.

“Dr. McAlpine oversaw
the college during a period
of growth and change,” says
Taylor. During McAlpine’s time
at the college, much of the
New Westminster campus was
updated and renovated, new
programs were introduced,

: and further opportunities for
: international studies became
: available.

Taking over the role

of interim president is vice

: president Kathy Denton, who
: will run the position until

: further notice. Taylor states that :
Denton’s career with Douglas

: College has lasted 20 years, “so
: we're lucky to have someone

: with such a history with the
college.”

Denton states that this

: is not the first time she has

: held the position of interim

: president, but that this will be

: her longest duration filling the
: role. Denton will remain in the
: position until a new president is :
: hired, with recently appointed :
: executive director of research

: and academic administration

: Thor Borgford taking on the

: role of interim vice president.

“(Hiring a president is]

: going to be a board process
: ... so it will depend on their
: scheduling,” says Taylor. “There :
: won't be another board meeting :
: until September now...sothe
: search will probably begin in

: September for a new president.

: It usually takes a while ... several :
: months at a minimum.” :

Denton added that she

would like to remain available
: to the students, as McAlpine

; was, and continue with the

: president dinners. Denton also :
: stressed that no future changes :
: are planned for Douglas that:
: were not already in progress

: prior to McAlpine’s departure. :
“We're lucky to have Kathy :
: Denton,” says Taylor. “She's :
: been a professor here, she’s

: beena chair of a department,
: a dean, and as well as the vice
: president, so she knows the
college extraordinarily well.

“Whenever there’s change
in leadership, there’s going to

: be questions, and so it’s great
: Kathy’s available to help guide
: us through this time.”

McAlpine’s leave was

: sudden, and came as a surprise
: for those not directly involved

: with the situation. There are

: of course many questions left

of which being, “why?”
“If you look at any of the

: colleges or universities in
: BC,” says Taylor, “you'll see

: that presidents come and go.
: What’s important is that people !
: understand there’s a great
: leadership team here: the senior :
unanswered, the most pressing : :

: to runan institution the size
: of Douglas College, and we're
: lucky to have a very committed

management.
“It takes a lot of people

 

Scott McAlpine // By David Denofreo

: team of senior leaders who are

excited about the direction the

: college has been heading the

last few years.”
Both Taylor and Denton

stated they and the faculty
: wished McAlpine well in his
: future endeavours.