This is a letter sent to Squamish’s mayor and council, which was copied to The Squamish Chief
Please do NOT grant a building permit allowing Fortis Gas to build a compressor station in the industrial park.
This compressor station will be less than 1 km away from First Nations’ homes, the West Coast Railway Heritage Park (host to the annual Thomas the Tank Engine and other family events year-round), plus will be less than 1km from a wide range of businesses, homes and a playground located on the west end of Edgewater Crescent.
The possibilities for health, safety or environmental harm resulting from natural gas compressor stations are varied and can be quite serious. Regardless of any safety record presented by Fortis, if and when something goes wrong there is no guarantee that there will be enough evacuation notice to ensure the safety of residents and visitors in this area. Explosions, fires, leaks, spills, and fugitive emissions of toxins are all examples of the potential exposure and threats to residents nearby.
This is not an LNG debate. This is a legitimate urgent concern regarding the ongoing safety of residents in Squamish.
I would like to see council and district staff implement stronger land-use policies that will prevent the granting of any future “high risk” heavy industry building permits within a specific safety radius of homes, playgrounds and public areas.
The safety of our community should come first.
More information: http://www.fortisbc.com/About/Newsletters/TheSource/Pages/A-new-natural-gas-compressor-station-in-Squamish.aspx
Michelle Neilson
Squamish
