Advocating for Change

I was talking to a government leader the other day and was listening to his views on the various projects that he approved and the controversy surrounding them. He said that it was the same group of people that protested every single project and that he didn't put much stalk into what they had to say. That got me thinking about how we advocate for change in the province. The first way to advocate for change is to protest, and if you get enough people you can cause government to change their minds. Two protests that come to mind right away are the HST and proposed privatization of the Coquihalla Highway. If you protest and can only get a few hundred people out, you are not likely to see change. The second way you can advocate for change is by gaining credibility, so your opinion is respected. One of the group that comes to mind is the Vancouver Area Cycling Coalition and Greater Langley Cycling Coalition that work closely with local government to improve cycling in our region.

When we advocate for sustainability, I believe that advocating for change by gaining credibility is the only route to go right now in the South of Fraser. Until gas is $2.00/litre, while the majority of people want all the things that we talk about on this blog, I don’t think they are motivated enough to get on the street to protest for change. Maybe, I’m out to lunch. Let me know.