Terminals seek funds
The Squamish Terminals is going after federal funds for a major rehabilitation project.
The Terminals requested a letter of support from the mayor and council at an October committee meeting for their application to Transport Canada’s National Trade Corridors Fund.
The fund is part of a $2-billion investment over the next 11 years in transportation infrastructure, a commitment the federal government made in the 2016 budget.
The money is meant to help address capacity issues, help prepare transportation systems for climate change, improve transportation in the northern territories and build on existing investments.
The funding is open to local governments, schools, public sector organizations, crown corporations, port authorities, universities and colleges, and private sector organizations.
Squamish Terminals’ president Kim Stegeman-Lowe said the details of the funding application, including the amount they are seeking, could not be released until funding is awarded. She said the money would go toward improvements to the deep-water terminal. “The approach channel to Squamish Terminals west berth requires major remediation,” said Stegeman-Lowe in an email. “By facilitating trade to global markets through infrastructure improvements, Transport Canada is an important funding partner in supporting Squamish Terminals to improve marine safety while advancing international trade, providing local jobs and protecting our environment.”
Money for the mine
The Britannia Mine Museum Society recently received a cash injection from the federal government
The society was awarded $40,000 toward an $80,000 project to enhance professionalism and safety on the site, according to a news release from Pamela Goldsmith-Jones, MP, West Vancouver – Sunshine Coast – Sea to Sky Country “To help understand the history of Britannia Mine and have a better grasp of the economic and environmental impact it had, I highly recommend a visit of the Britannia Mine Museum,” said Goldsmith-Jones in the release.
Public comments invited
Citizens with an opinion on the proposed Burnco Aggregate Project can make comments on the Provincial Assessment Report for the project proposed for the shores of Howe Sound until Friday, Nov. 27. Burnco’s plan is for a sand, rock and gravel mine on 70 ha in the Lower McNaab Valley.
The project would consist of an extraction pit, on-site processing facilities, a marine loading facility and barge shipping routes through Howe Sound. The maximum annual production rate from the mine would be 1.6 million tonnes of aggregate per year or 20 million tonnes extracted over a 16-year operational lifespan.
The company currently sources aggregate material from suppliers in Port McNeil, Sechelt, and Jervis Inlet. According to Burnco, the Howe Sound project would be nearer to its operations on the Fraser River than its other sources and therefore reduce transportation costs and environmental emissions.
The Provincial Assessment report and information about the proposed gravel mine are available on the Environmental Assessment Office’s website, eao.gov.bc.ca.
The website has an online comment form or comments can be faxed to 250-387-0230 or sent to Burnco Aggregate Project, Environmental Assessment Office; P.O. Box 9426 Stn. Prov Gov’t Victoria B.C. V8W 9V1.
Money for economic development
The District of Squamish, Squamish Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Squamish are set to receive $116,500 in provincial funding to support local economic development initiatives. The BC Rural Dividend Fund grant will result in a data and skills enhancement initiatives.
The data initiative will allow information to be collected and used for decision making by local stakeholders. “Examples of data that could be provided include: industry/sector-specific data, business climate, demographic, and data to support community priorities such as housing and transportation,” read the District release.
Eventually the information collected and analyzed will be available “to the local business community through an improved economic development portal at Squamish.ca and project partner sites.”
In terms of the skills initiative, details or sketchy, but the District says the grant money will help fund a training and education program for employees designed for “all levels of employees in the community including front-line customer service staff, trades, managers and executives.
The total for the initiatives will be $194,500: the grant from the province will contribute 60 per cent, while the District, Squamish Chamber and Tourism Squamish will contribute the remaining 40 per cent. The project is expected to last until 2019.
