Re: “Goldsmith-Jones needs to clarify LNG approval” (letter, April 7).
The protection of Howe Sound is of great importance to me as well. This is our home, and I know that protecting our environment is a tremendous priority for all of us.
The three-week window I referred to was based on the five interim principles released in late January, one of which is that the end date for approval of projects already under assessment will not be pushed back without reason. The minister was not confronted with a set date but did have a time pressure to respect these principles. When I say that Minister Catherine McKenna faced a narrow decision, I mean that Woodfibre LNG met the requirements in the federal Environmental Assessment and had already received approval from Squamish Nation with 25 legally binding conditions. Based on the environmental assessment, Minister McKenna granted a conditional approval on the project that requires that the proponent meet 122 conditions in order to go ahead. Their job here is not done. They will continue to regulate the project to ensure the conditions are met.
I am also working with Environment and Climate Change Canada on a document that outlines the regulatory requirements and next steps for these conditions so that we as a community can hold the proponent accountable as well.
Pam Goldsmith-Jones
MP, West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast-Sea to Sky Country
