Margaret Atwood's tweet 'spooks' Surrey truck parking lot proposal

Canadian literary icon Margaret Atwood has tweeted out a spooky warning to sign a petition against a semi-truck parking lot in Surrey or be haunted by her "in the form of a dead salmon."

The outspoken author is the latest critic of the 77-acre parking lot for big rigs that critics say jeopardizes a nearby salmon hatchery.

"The difficulty with the trucks and their fuels and their antifreeze and all the rest of the stuff that goes with trucks — the brake lines and all that stuff— it's very dangerous to the river," said Phillip Milligan, president of the Little Campbell River Watershed Society.

He points to a recent crash near the proposed truck park that sent diesel fuel into the river.

"There was a terrific sheen of diesel fuel on the road and it was actually in the river. That's exactly what we don't want in this river: pollution and diesel fuel," said Milligan.

The truck park — which still early in the application stage — is meant to offset a critical shortage of parking space for big rigs, said Jas Rehal, Surry's manager of Bylaw Enforcement.

"About a thousand semi-trucks park illegally in the city. Some park in their driveways, which is a public safety risk. Others park on land that is in the Agricultural Land Reserve. That's something the city has been cracking down on."

Up to 10 cases involving ALR parking have ended up in court.

The City of Surrey is reviewing the environmental standards before making any decision on the controversial truck park, but that decision is not expected soon.