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A Surrey man fighting to stop construction of a road project through his local park says he will make it an election issue if city council does not relent.

The 105 Avenue Connector would cut through the south end of Hawthorne Park, a two-lane road to link Whalley Boulevard and 150 Street, according to city draft plans for the project.

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The city says it would increase park space by an acre, bring in 200 more trees and provide new amenities.

But it also threatens to destroy the peace of a popular place of refuge used by local families, said Steven Pettigrew, who has lived across the street from Hawthorne for 17 years.

Pettigrew, 52, helped organize a rally against the project outside city hall Saturday where environmentalist David Suzuki spoke to hundreds of attendees about protecting the water and air rather than following a “dangerous path that is not sustainable.”

“There’s just a constant theme of municipalities really not listening to the people and just taking down our green space,” Pettigrew said.