Howe Sound Gravel Mine an Environmental Catastrophe

There is a new axiom in BC, evidently, which says, ‘You can’t be against EVERYTHING."

Unhappily, this had led the NDP and Energy critic John Horgan to support Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) plants in northwest BC for export. This is turning out to be an unmitigated disaster and my prediction is that there will be no LNG plants in BC thus no market.

But this new axiom, so critical to those who would take away our heritage, is also permitting a gravel pit to be developed in Howe Sound at McNab Creek. This is not for want of private opposition – it is alive and very well indeed. What it’s lacking is public awareness.

Howe Sound is a world-class area. It’s taken a hell of a beating since my Dad, Mom and I fished it back when if you didn’t get a fish you must have forgotten to put a hook on your line. Eagles have returned to how they were in the days when I was a boy and so have porpoises. Whales are being sighted again. Salmon runs, except the ones dependent on the Ashlu, which has been ruined by a private power company, are returning. Howe Sound is for boaters, canoeists, and a paradise for kayaks, as it may well become again for fishermen.

The El Nino, a fifty foot wood boat was found to be sinking slowly off of Anvil Island recently. It was located near the old decommissioned BC Ferry that was being scrapped in over 250 feet of water. The El Nino was abandoned, and has become a hazard to navigation and is leaking pollutants into Howe Sound. Despite contacting Coast Guard who visited the foundering vessel while it was still precariously tied to the shore on Anvil Island, it was left alone. DFO, Transport Canada and BC Ministry of Environment also declined from taking any action.

This vessel came loose and drifted over to Sunset Marina. The vessel came very close to drifting into the BC Ferry lanes and still poses a potential hazard for both navigation and the environment in Howe Sound. Local resident John Buchanan and his son took the time and effort to remove 800 pounds of material off of the hulk. It seems that derelict vessels seem to be falling through the cracks of all of the government departments.

Meanwhile Bowen Island residents seem to be suffering from the same problems with abandoned vessels coming loose and ending up on shore or sinking. This seems to be a Canada wide problem on both of our coasts. Proper registration regulations could work towards creating the accountability required for action to be taken.

The question remains whether any government department is willing to take on the responsibility of dealing with this important issue. Will it take a BC Ferry to have a collision with an abandoned vessel before something is done?

Former Howe Sound pulp mill site eyed by Singapore company for LNG plant

There is a new proposal by Pacific Energy Corp., a Singapore based company interested in liquefied natural gas (LNG) production for their own purposes. They propose an LNG plant based at the former Woodfibre site. They are looking for a continuous supply within their own organization.

Premier Christy Clark and the BC Liberals have put a significant emphasis on the potential of LNG as a key driver of the B.C. economy in the near future, believing it could generate a trillion dollars for the province by the middle of the century. They want three LNG facilities in operation by 2020.

The amount of tax revenue that will be generated if the project goes ahead is unknown. Tax revenue would depend on the value assessed to the land by the B.C. Assessment Authority.

The Marine Life Sanctuaries Society of BC has started the process to protect the delicate glass sponge reefs of BC. Currently MLSS has been studying the reefs close to the Vancouver area to determine their importance as nurseries for the rockfish. It is clear that the sponges play a critical role as safe habitat for juvenile rockfish. Many of these sponge reefs are composed of live sponges on top of old dead sponges, which constitute what is called a “bioherm”. Some of these bioherms have been determined to be 8,000-9,000 years old. The sponges themselves are quite unique biologically, as they are composed of silicate. This is why they are referred to as glass sponges.

Given their fragile nature, it doesn’t take much to destroy them. A dragger running over them would result in total devastation. Hook and line fishing can also do severe damage to these delicate reefs. Years ago many of the local commercial fishermen had a gentleman’s agreement to avoid these areas, as they understood their significance for creating future generations of rockfish. 

Proposal:

I will mine thee to the 55-meter depth of an open-pit quarry.

I will mine thee as far as the 77-hectar breadth of my mine’s sight.

Let me mine thee, crush and process thee aggregate with delight.

Does thou protest too much in order to save Howe Sound?

I will mine thee within the farthest reaches that a permit will allow.

Refusal:

How can you threaten our air, health, eco-system and wildlife?
Allow me to count the ways 650 endangered fish will be polluted,
And the number of countless, rare, and endangered invertebrates.

Let’s count the ways that mining will affect us 24/7, 365 days a year.
We need to take back our democracy now and demand an end to the
government’s mines act, which is an outdated part of BC legislation.

How can you take away the dolphins and orcas that just returned
after decades of cleaning up from Britannia Beach mine burn.
Our eco-system is just recovering from that toxic harm
and we must protest McNab Mining project with great alarm.

Let’s count the 20,000+ contaminated sites across Canada.
All Government-approved mining companies digging for aggregate
five million pounds of contamination into our precious water.
slashing through the earth like meat brought to the slaughter. 

Howe Sound deserves our protection and implemented rejection.
Let us demonstrate how much we love Howe Sound and count the
ways we will love thee purely, freely and with environmental passion.

And most importantly, love thee but more after our generation’s death,
as the future of Howe Sound lives a long and healthy life future
generations will be thankful for, forever more.

*Apologies and appreciation to Elizabeth Barrett Browning.  

Please visit  www.savehowesound.org and support this cause.