On Wednesday (Feb. 8), residents will get answers about river restoration plans following the August CN Rail derailment that resulted in 41,000 litres of caustic soda being dumped into the Cheakamus River.
The Cheakamus Ecosystem Recovery Technical Committee (CERTC) is holding an open house from 4:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Adventure Centre Wednesday (Feb. 8). It's still uncertain what kind of information will be available, but Squamish River Watershed Society representative Edith Tobe said that a top priority among concerned groups is steelhead recovery.
"I'd like to see all efforts made at the time - because it's a time-sensitive issue - to reestablish the steelhead stock," said Tobe. "If nothing is done this year, my gut feeling is that there's a good chance the steelhead may enter into a state of extinction if something is not done. But that's not a scientific statement."
Tobe said she hopes CN representatives and their consultants change their ways and start taking the public's questions and comments seriously. "I'm extremely frustrated with CN Rail's lack of attention to due public relations, plain and simple," she said. "They just have no capacity for engaging the public in an accountable manner and I do feel that they are alienating most of the groups at every turn. I hope it will be good, I hope there will be a good turnout and that they respond accordingly."
CERTC was established shortly after the spill and is composed of multiple agency and government representatives charged with completing the impact assessment of the spill and with developing a recovery strategy and options. Residents can meet the members of CERTC, which includes representatives from CN Railway and Triton Environmental Consulting, the Ministry of Environment, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, District of Squamish, Squamish Nation, and Environment Canada.
The Squamish River Watershed Society was also invited to develop a communications plan for the committee, which they've been working on since November. Watershed representative Edith Tobe said she doesn't know if the society will continue working with the committee because she received an email from a CN representative stating that her services will no longer be needed.
"So right now I'm absolutely informing the whole world about the open house and encouraging them to come out but I'm not doing any further steps at this time," she said.
