Brent Richter/Staff Writer
Pan Pacific Aggregates' (PPA) proposal to start a new mining and processing operation outside Sechelt was met with rigid criticism and skeptical questioning at last Thursday's Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) planning committee.
The proposed Mission Hill operation would see 100,000 to 150,000 tons of limestone and dolomite per year blasted, crushed, screened and stockpiled before being transported through Sechelt, according to PPA spokesman David Pow. Pow said during his presentation to directors Jan. 15, within three years, ideally, that number would increase to 240 tons annually. The mine would employ between 10 to 30 local skilled professionals. Pow said he would like to see the project start as early as this spring, and it would likely run for five to six years.
"Pan Pacific went to the previous council before us - I believe you know that - and didn't receive very much support," said Sechelt Mayor Darren Inkster. "As a matter of fact, the only person who supported it is no longer on our council, so you can imagine, probably, where our council will go with this new one."
SCRD directors proceeded to assemble a laundry list of criticisms of PPA's plan and questions for Pow.
One of the most common concerns raised was the trucking of mined goods from the site.
Inkster pointed out that under PPA's proposed plan, the heavy trucks would have to go past West Sechelt Elementary School, down the steep hill on Mason Road, through Sechelt's business sector and across Band lands to be unloaded. He also expressed concern about the damage the trucks would do to roads.
Pow said the trucking would be scheduled to avoid school opening and dismissal times.
Several directors questioned Pow on environmental impacts, especially acid rock runoff, metal leaching and the possibility for chemical spills.Pow said PPA does not anticipate any water runoff problems and that the site would include a series of ditches designed to trap water where it could be tested for sulphites on a weekly basis.
"There are no plans to do any additional processing besides the crushing and screening," Pow said. "If there is any spillage of any oils or contaminates, it will be cleaned up when it happens. There would be no discharge allowed from the site unless it met provincial water quality standards."
Pender Harbour/Egmont director Eric Graham weighed in with some of the difficulties his area has experienced with noise made by rock crushers in a similar mine near Egmont.
"All hell broke loose for noise abatement," he said. "I am just wondering about protection from the noise because that seems to be a very important issue in our area."
Pow said the noise could be mitigated by building a berm around the crushing area and controlling the size of blasts used to get the rocks down to an acceptable size. He said blasting would be limited to a few times a week.
Board chair Donna Shugar later questioned what plans PPA had in place to clean up the site and return it to its original state after their mining operations were complete and why PPA had not budgeted any money in the project for that.
Pow said after mining is complete, the area would be cleaned up and reseeded, both of which would be covered by their regular maintenance budget.
Halfmoon Bay director Garry Nohr pointed out the mine would produce dust and noise that could negatively affect the proposed botanical garden nearby.
SCRD staff also weighed in on the application.
Judy Skogstad, SCRD manager of planning and development, rejected PPA's claims that there would be no negative impact on the environment, stating PPA's application had no hard evidence or scientific research to back it up.
"We found the application so general and lacking in detail that we'd want to see some supporting technical work in conjunction with a rezoning application," Skogstad said. "I think the very fact that you had to ask for this information shows that it hasn't been dealt with in detail in the information that has been forwarded to us."
Skogstad said she could not recommend the application for approval so long as it still called for crushing and screening to be done, citing a need for total zoning changes not included in PPA's application.
Skogstad said PPA's plans to get the mine in operation by the spring were unreasonable due to the length of time needed for public hearings and approval of the SCRD.
Skogstad said PPA would have to put more time into the studying of environmental, visual, noise, traffic and recreation impacts before mining operations can begin. She added that PPA must also receive comment from the Sechelt Indian Band and the District of Sechelt.
Tough questions did not stop with directors and staff. About eight Sunshine Coast residents turned out to listen and offer their points of view for directors to consider. The result was three additional recommendations being passed, including that PPA must finish reclamation jobs at past sites before their current application could be approved.
Following the discussion, directors passed nine recommendations that PPA must meet in order for their application to receive further review. Directors also stated that PPA would have to face a public advisory committee that will also review the application.
