Patricia Hall / Staff Writer
Pan Pacific Aggregates' (PPA) proposed conveyor belt and ship loading facility in Wood Bay drew close to 200 people to a community meeting on a sunny Mother's Day afternoon.
Save Our Sunshine Coast (SOSC) - a residents' group formed last month to protect Wood Bay from a conveyor and industrial development - hosted the meeting at Halfmoon Bay Elementary. Speakers discussed potential impacts including dust, noise, pollution, marine traffic in Malaspina Strait, wildlife, marine life, property values, tourism, watersheds and quality of life.
"It's really important that we do something right now," urged SOSC chair Ron Brown.
SOSC committee member Eleanor Lenz noted critics say those opposed simply do not want it in their backyard. "The Sechelt Peninsula is the backyard of all who live on the Sunshine Coast - and you're right, I don't."
Kevin Toth, owner of RockWater Resort in Secret Cove and chair of the Sunshine Coast Tourism Partnership, said the proposed mine and loading facility would have a dramatic impact on tourism on the Sunshine Coast.
"We need your help in protecting our precious resource, which is being threatened by PPA," Toth told the crowd.
PPA is exploring the option of running a conveyor belt from its proposed mining operation in the Caren Range down to a proposed ship loading facility in Wood Bay. The proposed alternative marine route to transport industrial minerals through Sechelt Inlet and Skookumchuck Narrows was also met with community opposition.
"Wood Bay would be the favourite option at this stage," PPA president and chief operating officer Alan Whitehead said in an interview. "Other locations that we have considered have either got a higher density of population or too long a distance to run a conveyor from the proposed mine site. So Wood Bay is the least developed location that we're aware of that's on the outside shoreline."Contrary to a rumour brought up at the meeting that PPA is now looking at Egmont as an alternative location for a conveyor, Whitehead confirmed PPA is not looking to Egmont as an option.
"We're still undertaking the environmental survey that we started last month [in Wood Bay] and we're expecting that to be completed in June," Whitehead said. "At that time we should be able to make a decision on the suitability of that site, and we'll obviously keep the community updated."If PPA were to go ahead with a conveyor, it would need to apply to the Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) for rezoning.
"Our committee has said this is where we need to step in," Brown said at the meeting. "Our position is let's leave [the Official Community Plan] the way it is let's not change it."
At the meeting, people were signing an SOSC petition to the SCRD board that reads: "We, the undersigned property owners and residents of the Sunshine Coast, B.C., are strongly opposed to any changes to the Official Community Plan or zoning changes applied for by Pan Pacific Aggregates that would facilitate the industrialization of Wood Bay.
"PPA's proposal, which would include a 10-kilometre conveyor system from their planned northern mine in the Caren Range to Wood Bay, is unacceptable to us.
"Therefore, your petitioners call upon the SCRD to take all necessary steps to ensure the protection of the natural context, health, culture and heritage of our community."
SCRD chair John Rees, Area B (Halfmoon Bay) director Garry Nohr and District of Sechelt director Ed Steeves attended the meeting as observers.
SOSC is liaising with numerous community groups on the Sunshine Coast also opposed to PPA's proposed mining operations. "Our goal is to unite these small groups so that we have one very large say in what goes on," Jan Williams of the Friends of Sechelt Peninsula group said at the meeting.
Brown concluded the meeting urging people to sign the petition, write letters to politicians and pass on information to neighbours.
"Numbers really count," Brown said.
