Editor's note: A copy of this letter to Rachel Shaw, project assessment manager of the Environmental Assessment Office in Victoria, was forwarded to the Record for publication.
Dear Rachel Shaw,
I recently attended two of the three public meetings concerning the Raven Underground Coal Mine. The purpose of these meetings was purportedly to point out deficiencies in Compliance Energy鈥檚 draft Application Information Requirements/Environmental Impact Statement Guidelines. At least 1,500 people attended these meetings and an overwhelming majority (all but a few) were opposed to the mine.
During the last comment period approximately 1,800 people wrote in, many calling for:
鈥� A joint federal/provincial independent expert review panel with full public hearings,
鈥� Comprehensive aquifer mapping and modeling of the full Raven tenure including interactions between ground and surface waters and their relationship to Baynes Sound
When so many voices are ignored, and the draft AIR/EIS is not amended to include these requests, how can the public feel that they are truly being consulted?
The meetings were, in my opinion, a sham; I can remember only one question asked by someone in Courtenay that received a clear, non-bafflegab answer, and that was, 鈥淲ill Compliance be paying mineral taxes on the coal removed from the tenure?鈥� John Tapics answer was, 鈥淣o, because it is privately owned land.鈥� The attendees were outraged by this fact. At a subsequent meeting, Mr. Tapics sidestepped the question.
Compliance has kept the Bear Project under wraps because it will be an open-pit mine in close proximity to the City of Courtenay. But the Bear Project must be included, as cumulative effects of transportation, water and the accumulation of waste materials in the watersheds flowing into Baynes Sound need to be taken into account.
I have to wonder, as well, whether Mr. Tapics has any idea of what life is like in this community and what OUR values are. We live here for the peace and quiet, clean air, clean water and community spirit.
While waiting for the ferry at Denman West, we clearly hear the seals barking from the log sort on Vancouver Island. Water carries sound very easily and very far. And the mountains reflect sound over Baynes Sound.
I live on the east side of Denman Island, facing Hornby Island, yet I have frequently heard train whistles and fire sirens from Vancouver Island. The din from the mine, the trucks and the equipment will destroy the life we love on Denman Island. Acid leaching from the waste coal will destroy our watersheds and the pristine waters of Baynes Sound and Lambert Channel. Will orcas still swim by?
Heather McLean
Denman Island
