EDITOR,
Burnco Rock Products Limited of Calgary, Alberta has submitted a proposal to the B.C. Environmental Assessment Office to site a gravel mine at McNab Creek along Howe Sound.
An information meeting was held at the Gleneagles Community Centre on May 23, where Burnco presented the proposal to a standing-room-only crowd.
There are several aspects to the proposed site that has local Howe Sound residents concerned. Given the number of years it took to remediate the Britannia mine site, many don't have a lot of faith in mining companies.
As the mine site requires all traffic to come and go by water, Howe Sound residents will be the beneficiaries of the resulting environmental repercussions. The environmental concerns revolved around acoustic levels, fish habitat, wildlife corridors, barge traffic and visual impacts.
One of the main marine environmental concerns is the relocation of the spawning channel constructed by Fisheries and Oceans Canada on the site. Burnco indicated that the site was originally poorly constructed and sited. This spawning channel was originally constructed as part of a habitat restoration agreement that had previously been done with government. Burnco has suggested that they could do a better job of relocating the spawning channel, given the opportunity.
The acoustic challenges of the site are numerous and include two rock crushers, conveyors, and barge traffic. Burnco indicated that they were in process doing an acoustic assessment to find ways to mitigate the sound levels caused by this heavy industrial activity. It was not clear how much activity would be done on site, as their stated activity level did not match the numbers used on the environmental assessment. The average activity level seemed to be one million tons of gravel per year with one barge being loaded and moved per day.
The McNab site has also been used in a Roosevelt elk relocation program and there are concerns about other wildlife as well. It remains to be seen how they intend on dealing with displaced wildlife. They did indicate that there would be no fencing and their roads could be used by wildlife.
The vast majority of the attendees were not in favour of the mine proposal. Many found it difficult to understand how an area that is currently experiencing a rebirth with dolphins, whales and other wildlife could be considered for heavy industry. The mine itself is a 20-year project and will employ 12 people. It was clear that it would affect hundreds of residents, not to mention the habitat destruction and wildlife concerns.
Roy Mulder
North Vancouver
