In response to the letter from Fortis BC, published in The Chief a couple of weeks ago: Fortis has been fast to react to the recent activities organized by local residents. While I appreciate the communication between Fortis and our community in recent weeks, there are still a lot of questions.
A clean track record over the past decades does not guarantee safety. The community is clearly against this added risk – no matter how small. Any incident at the compressor station is likely to have severe consequences for Squamish. Both previously suggested locations – one much further from residents, the other easily accessible and powered electrically – have been rejected. So what makes Fortis think the Mount Mulligan site would be a good idea? To me, this backlash from local residents was pretty much predictable and is guaranteed to continue.
Nobody consulted Valleycliffe residents or the Squamish community if there would actually be an acceptable compromise for a compressor station site. How can Fortis market this under the label “...we listened to the community...”?
I’m sure Fortis will comply with all regulations in regards to noise and pollution. However, those are minimum standards and that doesn’t mean these regulations are by any means acceptable for this neighborhood.
Air pollution – no matter how efficient the turbines – is a fact. So is the greater fire and explosion risk for a gas-powered compressor. The noise level compared to electric drive also increases. The potential long-term impact on the local watershed hasn’t even been studied.
Fortis also keeps referring to a bluff, behind which the station would be hidden. I have visited the site and encourage everyone to go up there and have a look. The tiny ledge will not hide the compressor station. Most trees will probably be cleared for fire protection, making the area more visible.
The biggest issue I see is that any proposal would mean for Squamish to accept a cultural change towards fossil fuel industry. Squamish needs and welcomes industry – in fact, it has been named one of the best places to do business in B.C - but people are very conscious about what kind of business to attract. Squamish has been branded The Outdoor Recreation Capital of Canada, is named 2nd Best Place in Canada to Visit and is on the Forbes list of Worldwide Best Locations to Visit. If Squamish wants to maintain this image, then a petro-chemical operation would have to take second place and not be made a priority. Fortis will have to step back and work with the community. It clearly doesn’t help to keep comparing us to Coquitlam or Langley - Squamish is not Coquitlam, Squamish is not Langley and I doubt the people here want it to be.
Falk Bretschneider,
Squamish
