The province is investigating at least one case of alleged riparian damage in the Legacy Ridge area near Quest University, following complaints about potential environmental destruction.
“The District is aware of two situations where members of the public were concerned that riparian damage may have occurred,” reads a statement from Chris Wyckham, the municipality’s director of engineering.
“In one situation, riparian damage did occur on the land during ownership by a previous owner, not by Legacy Ridge Developments. This is a multi-jurisdictional file and the province of B.C. is actively pursuing it, with District support.”
Wyckham also noted that in the second situation, the area did not meet the definition of riparian, and all permits were in place for the work.
Riparian areas refer to zones linking water to land, such as streams, rivers, wetlands and creeks. These spaces are often protected by provincial regulations such as the Riparian Areas Protection Act.
The provincial Ministry of Forests did not identify who allegedly caused the damage when asked by The Chief.
“The riparian damage that occurred in the area near Quest University is currently under investigation by the Compliance and Enforcement Branch,” reads an emailed statement by the ministry. “It is premature to discuss until the investigation is complete.”
No other details were provided.
The remarks arrived after The Chief obtained documents via the Freedom of Information Act in June. These files were obtained after a lengthy FOI appeal process that began in 2017.
The documents show that at least seven complaints were made with respect to the alleged riparian damage between October 2016 and August 2017.
Unnamed complaints filed by the public say that riparian damage occurred on the land. According to the documents released in the FOI request, the first complaint was made in October 7, 2016.
In correspondence with The Chief, the District of Squamish identified the first complaint as a comment associated with the area being investigated by the Ministry of Forests.
That complaint noted that “Lot 58 above Aristotle Drive” had been cleaned with “no consideration for the riparian area.”
In June 2017, a complaint noted that trees and vegetation were removed from the riparian area.
Another comment was made that month.
“I walked the property to discover a small stream of running water that [was] covered up by backfilling with boulders,” reads the second complaint made in June 2017. “And wow....have they ever clear cut that whole section. Whatever happened to the District caring about the environment and riparian areas?”
The District withheld the identities of the complainants in the FOI disclosure, citing privacy concerns.
