Following a heated public open house last week on the Pitt River Independent Power Project (IPP), Squamish Council unanimously agreed Tuesday (March 4) to advise the province it is not welcome to link into the Cheekye Fan substation north of Squamish.Citing concerns the proposed transmission lines would hurt both the community and its surrounding wilderness, council members passed a motion suggesting the IPP lines go south to the Coast Meridian substation in Coquitlam."I just see it being more hydro lines, more scars on the mountainside," said Coun. Corinne Lonsdale, adding it would "not be the first time that we have impacts on our community to the benefits of others."If approved, the run-of-river project could potentially create enough electricity to power 55,700 homes. The proponent, Northwest Cascade Power, has applied to change the boundaries of Pinecone Burke Provincial Park to accommodate a transmission line, which would cross over its northern tip then follow through to the Cheekye substation where it could potentially impede local trails.Coun. Mike Jenson questioned why Squamish should take the brunt of a project that would likely serve the people of Vancouver. "I'm still not clear why it's not going due south where the power's really going to be needed," he said.Council's disapproval in itself is not enough to squash the plan. Local governments lost control over IPP approvals when Bill 30 was amended in 2006 amid dispute about a run-of-river project on the Ashlu River.However, the province still requests input from the District of Squamish when considering IPPs.On Feb. 4, Ministry of Environment regional planner Jennie Aikman asked for district feedback on the proposed park boundary adjustment.Council unanimously voted to advise Aikman and the Environmental Assessment Office they opposed the adjustment, while also passing a second motion opposing the project's proposed route to the Cheekye substation.The two motions seem to be in sync with the feelings of residents. At a Squamish open house for the project on Feb. 25, people came from as far as Pitt River to oppose the project along with any change to the park boundary.
