EDITOR,
I do appreciate the mayor's written reply to my concerns about the cost of removing derelict vessels in our waters. The proposal from the Union of B.C. Municipalities does offer some long-term hope, but it is dependant upon many jurisdictions reaching agreement. I doubt that this is a fast-track solution to our present and growing problem.
We need to be proactive and not wait for others to solve our problem. Some options are:
Pass local bylaws to cover the responsibilities of water-lot leasees and riparian landowners;
Declare the Mamquam Blind Channel and the Squamish River Estuary as sensitive environmental areas and ban indiscriminate anchoring;
Apply to be returned to proclaimed port status, which will give local control over our harbour area; and
Generate public input for other options.
Squamish is a community of active people with active minds. We should be able to find a solution before more derelicts arrive and more get abandoned and sink.
James Gracie
Squamish
