MAYORAL candidate George Harvie of Achieving for Delta on Tuesday issued the following statement of commitments to the United Truckers Association:
THANK you for the kind invite to your October 7, 2018 membership meeting with Achieving for Delta council candidate Mr. Param Grewal. It was an honour to attend and hear from you directly.
The issues you raised are important ones – not just for the UTA, but for Delta’s economy, which depends on your hardworking members to keep goods flowing in and out of our city and region.
In my capacity as Delta’s City Manager, last year I recognized the urgent need to find truck parking accommodations for your members, many whom are residents of Delta.
In this pivotal election on October 20, I now have an opportunity as the Mayor of Delta to solve this problem.
As stated at last Sunday’s meeting, as Mayor I will immediately request a meeting with yourself and the members of your association to review the following opportunities:
Site 1: Provincial Truck parking facility at Nordel and Highway 91
Last year, as City Manager, I conducted a walkthrough of this area and discussed with the Ministry of Transportation reasons as to why the current unused area cannot be used for a combination of more truck parking and private vehicles owned by your members.
My position is that the site can and should be easily graded and paved. This can be accomplished immediately and would provide more opportunities for your members.
Site 2: Provincial Truck Pull off at Highway 91 Northbound Between Highway 10 and 64th
It appears the Ministry of Transportation has abandoned this site. Prior to my resignation as City Manager, I requested Delta Engineering to continue funding the portable toilets at this site. My walkthrough revealed that it could easily be repurposed for truck parking and a location for your members’ private vehicles.
Further Opportunities
There are several other areas associated with the Nordel/Alex Fraser Bridge interchange improvements, with sizable land located inside the interchange areas. This would be ideal to operate under a co-op business model – and now is the right time to discuss utilizing this space for your members’ use.
My 17-year tenure as Delta’s City Manager speaks for itself: I am a problem solver with a proven track record in delivering results for the City of Delta and its residents.
If elected mayor, I am committed to meeting with you and representatives of the United Truckers Association immediately to discuss a strategy to work together and present the Minister of Transportation Site 1 and 2 as opportunities that can be realized quickly. Under my leadership, I will personally ensure that the City of Delta takes the lead in making this happen.
Further discussions need to take place with the ministry to push for the use of the Nordel / Alex Fraser highway interchange land for additional accommodation for your members’ truck and passenger vehicle parking. That said, you and I both know that there is no need for further studies. It’s time for action. And with your support on October 20, I’m confident we can get to work together right away to move on this.