Olympic flag-raising events at Vancouver City Hall on February 28 and March 2 drew large crowds of protesters, concerned about some specific environment damage associated with preparations for the 2010 Olympics.

However, this group of protesters bore little resemblance to the granola-eating stereotype. Most of them were from West Vancouver, which is one of the most affluent municipalities in North America. And they had a point.

The contentious issue is an area of West Vancouver called Eagleridge Bluffs, and it starts with Route 99, the "Sea to Sky" highway that runs from West Vancouver to Squamish, Whistler, and Lillooet. This road has a well-deserved reputation for being dangerous that goes back long before the 2010 Olympics were conceived. The primary problem is the rugged terrain it goes through, but anyone who's familiar with it will tell you that inebriated skiers returning from Whistler after the slopes close, combined with often inclement weather and lax law enforcement, are a major contributor.

Downhill and cross-country skiing, biathlon, bobsled, and ski jumping competition will take place in the Whistler area.

Pleas to the Provincial government from residents of communities along the Sea to Sky Highway to step up traffic enforcement have been falling on deaf ears. (The same government discontinued passenger rail service through this corridor in 2003, but that's a story for another day.) The same government has, however, addressed the problem of capacity. Their plan (there's a web site about it at http://www.seatoskyimprovements.ca/) is to widen most of the stretch from West Vancouver to Squamish to four lanes.

The big problem is, this widening will destroy Eagleridge Bluffs. It isn't just a matter of turning an attractive area into an unattractive one. Eagleridge Bluffs is a nesting area for bald eagles, and cutting down the arbutus trees will eliminate a rare ecosystem. The Mininstry of Transportations's own report to the provincial Assessment Office stated that Eagleridge Bluffs and the Larsen Creek Wetlands are "extremely rare, unique, highly susceptible to disturbance and regionally rare."

What's more, the opponents of the widening (and these opponents include West Vancouver City Council and the Greater Vancouver Regional District) have been consistently promoting an alternative; a tunnel under Eagleridge Bluffs. They claim that doing this would add only $15 million to the cost, and this additional cost is easily justified by lower maintenance costs, fewer accidents, and a vastly reduced environmental impact.

The bid submitted by Vancouver for the 2010 games contained a promise that the games would be sustainable. The government of British Columbia should be getting some hard questions about this promise with regard to Eagleridge Bluffs. The Coalition to Save Eagleridge Bluffs has a very good site at http://www.eagleridgebluffs.ca/.