By signing this petition, I would like to express concern that the Edmonton River Valley Conservation Coalition (ERVCC) has been given a disproportionate, unreasonably high level of influence over city council decision-making, particularly given that ERVCC is comprised of a very small group of individuals who lack training and expertise on the complex issues that they're speaking to.
ERVCC should not be permitted to undermine City Administration. ERVCC is a self proclaimed group of volunteers that has demonized every river valley based project. Historically, the group's actions have included chaining themselves to bridges, sabotaging trails in ways that could physically harm people, disseminating information that is not true, and publicly slandering other local community groups, businesses and companies.
The river valley is critically valuable for the wellness of Edmontonians as a natural retreat to recreate, exercise, and connect. Claims that community access should be restricted because it being a wildlife corridor are unreasonable. The river valley contains arterial roads, multiple golf courses, 200 km of paved and granular trails, 8' tall fences and entire residential neighbourhoods like Riverdale that border the river.
