update from Donald on our MLA's sort-of reaction

Submitted by Peter Johnston on March 25, 2014 - 12:12pm

Thanks all of you who have written to the MLA for Parksville-Qualicum to get her to join the three Lower Mainland BC Liberal MLAs who are calling for a health review for their end of the FSD-Texada coal proposal.

Judging by the form letter that she is sending back, brimming with buck-passing and glaringly false statements, Ms Stilwell requires more pressure and more education. She wants that form letter to be the last contact that she has to have with us. Let's not give up that easily.

Here is her form letter, with some bolded comments from me:

Thank-you for contacting me about the Surrey Fraser Docks proposal. Given Lasqueti Island’s position on the barge route for this facility your interest in the proposal is certainly understandable. Yes, exactly, so why don't you mention the barge route or the Texada facility anywhere else in your response? Why is the rest of your letter only about the federally-controlled Fraser-Surrey Docks, over 100 kms away?

After receiving your email I contacted the Ministry of Transportation and the Ministry of Environment for more information about the status of this proposal.

As you know, the Fraser Surrey Docks proposes to build coal handling facilities within their existing terminal operations. The proposed project will be built on federal lands within Port Metro Vancouver, which is responsible for the management of land and water within its jurisdiction. As part of the application process, Port Metro is requiring Fraser Surrey Docks to address human and ecological health effects and consult the public on their Environmental Impact Assessment. False; there was no Environmental Impact Assessment. An Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) has strict standards laid out by provincial or federal legislation. Instead, FSD did an "environmental review", which met no provincial or federal standard. It was so poor that it was rejected by dozens of EIA professionals and academics in an open letter to the port.

I am also aware of the ongoing engagement between the Fraser and Vancouver Coastal Health Authority medical healthofficers, Port Metro Vancouver and Metro Vancouver.

Medical health officers recently outlined some concerns with the proposal from a public health perspective, and requested input into the public health aspect of Port Metro Vancouver’s environmental assessment of the coal expansion proposal. Yes, they requested input, and this was rejected! The Port Metro Vancouver said that no further public or agency review would be permitted prior to the Port making its decision about the project.

I hope the public consultation process and the revised environmental, dust mitigation and health assessment requirements will address concerns. What public consultation? There is no further public consultation process! Health assessment requirements? Port Metro Vancouver will not release what additional health information they asked for, and will not allow any agency or the public to review this new information!! I encourage you to follow up with either Port Metro Vancouver or Metro Vancouver for updates on this decision. What?? I wrote to you about the Texada facility and the barge route. Port Metro Vancouver has no jurisdiction on these issues. These are issues strictly under the control of the BC government.

Thank-you for taking the time to write.

Three Lower Mainland Liberal MLAs are showing the courage of calling for a health review, at minimum, of the health impacts on constituents at their end of this proposal. Why does Michelle Stilwell feel that the same level of care should not be taken with her constituents? Why is she talking about the FSD coal facility 100 kms away, when she and her constituents can see the site of the proposed Texada coal port from Parksville, Qualicum, or Lasqueti?

If you haven't had a chance to write her, please do. If you received her sham form-letter response, don't let her off that easily. Send her a response. And ask for a meeting. That will help get her attention. Please forward this on to anyone in Parksville or Qualicum who would be interested in helping to apply pressure.

Thanks again. We are coming down to the wire.

Donald Gordon