BC must take the Roberts Bank consultation seriously
- Details
- Published on Sunday, 29 November -0001 16:00
- Written by editor
What’s the point in asking if you've already decided
Hi Paov,
The Fraser Estuary has supported marine species, land animals, birds and human communities since time immemorial. This essential ecosystem has been doomed by the recent federal approval of Roberts Bank Terminal 2 Expansion Project (RBT2).
The BC government has quietly opened a public consultation on the project, as the Environmental Assessment Act requires. However, the government has already come out publicly in support of the project, despite the incomplete environmental assessment process. Premier David Eby is acting in bad faith by supporting a project before hearing from the public and completing the review process.
BC’s Summary Assessment Report for the RBT2 project by the provincial environmental assessment office is dismal and fails to consider multiple environmental risks. The project will have disastrous impacts on endangered whales, chinook salmon, wetlands and Dungeness crab — not to mention the impact on jobs since the project will lead to further automation of the sector. The assessment does not take these issues seriously enough, only including 17 conditions, most of which are plans to plan. The BC government is not offering any protection measures from the project for harm caused to endangered chinook salmon, barn owls, southern resident killer whales and Dungeness crab. Their solution to the destruction of wetlands and at-risk communities is to monitor their decline and allow public comments.
The BC government still needs to issue a certificate for RBT2 under the Act. BC Minister of Environment and Climate Change George Heyman and Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Rob Fleming will make a decision soon. Tell BC they’ve failed this process To submit your comment, click the button on the top right side of the government’s website page. A dialogue box will appear. Scroll to the bottom, tick the box and click next to enter your comment.
Here are some points to consider for your submission:
- This environmental assessment public consultation process has been compromised because the Premier supported the project before the consultation was open.
- The BC government has failed to take the disastrous impacts of this project seriously and must redo the entire assessment.
- The BC government is not offering any protection measures from the project for harm caused to endangered chinook salmon, barn owls, southern resident killer whales and Dungeness crab — or to jobs that will be replaced with automation.
For the wild,
Charlotte Dawe
Conservation and Policy Campaigner
Wilderness Committee
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