Nexwlélexm / Bowen Island – The is the LAST OFFICIAL OPPORTUNITY for public comments in this project’s Environmental Assessment review before of the Environmental Assessment Office will send its recommendations to the Minister of the Environment for a decision.
From October 27 to November 27 2017, you have the opportunity to let the Provincial Government know how you feel about the proposal to build an 70 acre (30 Hectare) gravel mine at Kw’ech’ténm / McNab Creek, one of the very few remaining natural productive estuaries in Atl’Kitsem / Howe Sound.
The proposed project also includes an onsite crushing and processing plant, and a conveyor bridge to a barge dock terminal. The project would produce 20+ million tonnes of aggregate over 16+ years.
The last public comment project saw 95% of the respondents commenting against the project.
Why we must stop this proposal
- Estuaries are massively important for aquatic life. Estuaries are among the most productive ecosystems on earth and this 2006 Ecosystems at Risk ‘Estuaries in British Columbia’ published by the BC Ministry of Environment explains why.
- Estuaries are naturally rare, comprising only 2.3 percent of British Columbia’s rugged coastline.
- McNab Creek is a salmon bearing stream with higher salmon returns than the company admitted.
- The Depart of Fisheries and Oceans has rejected plans for a gravel mine at this location twice, due to concerns for wild salmon spawning habitat.
- Yet Burnco wants to continue with this ludicrous idea to dig a gravel pit in one of the few remaining natural estuaries in a recovering Átl’ḵa7tsem / Howe Sound.
- The Environmental Assessment report from the Environmental Assessment office suggests that digging a 70 acre gravel mine in an natural estuary, processing the gravel on site, building and operating a loading wharf for gravel barges, all of this would ‘not have significant adverse effects.’ Would you believe it?
What we are asking you to do is to send your letter about the gravel mine proposal and the broken Environmental Assessments process, right to the Minister of Environment, George Heyman, and the Minister of Minister Minister of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources, Michelle Mungall.
You can send your email to Minister Heyman and Minister Mungall with this link
It is best to write your own original letter. Please use the information above, or from our website, and make it your letter, that way it will have most effect!
You can also use the My Sea to Sky letter sender
For more on this proposal go to our dedicated Kw’ech’ténm / McNab Creek page.
And you can submit your comment and review the documents, like the draft Assessment Report and draft Summary Report at: the EAO Burnco Gravel Mine Project information page on the Environmental Assessment Office website.
Or you can send you submission to:
Burnco Aggregate Project
Environmental Assessment Office
P.O. Box 9426 Stn ProvGovt
Victoria, BC V8W 9V1
Or fax it to 250 387 0230