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CACG letter to North Cowichan Council |
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Feb 6, 2004
NorskeCanada had called for a special meeting with North Cowichan
Council (which they then cancelled). - "Our position is that the
Company should work with the community, including representatives from
Council, CACG and MWLAP, to address the following needs before any
‘Alternative Fuels’, or new generating capacity, are added to the
Crofton site, and certainly before any tax reduction is considered:..."
Crofton Airshed Citizens Group
http://www.croftonair.org
please respond to:
171 Vesuvius Bay Road, Salt Spring Island, BC V8K 1K3
Tel 250-537-2616; Fax:250-537-2681
February 6, 2004
The Mayor and Council
Municipality of North Cowichan
7030 Trans Canada Hwy
Fax: 250-746-3133
Dear Mayor and Council,
Re: NorskeCanada Crofton Mill
Thank you for sharing our concerns about the lack of adequate
baseline data for the Mill, and for reversing your earlier decision on
the ‘Alternative Fuels Trial’. As demonstrated at the January 20
meeting, you have a lot of community support on this issue. We
understand that a special delegation from NorskeCanada head office will
be presenting to Council on February 13. We will be attending the
meeting and would like Council to be aware of our position.
Our position is that the Company should work with the community,
including representatives from Council, CACG and MWLAP, to address the
following needs before any ‘Alternative Fuels’, or new generating
capacity, are added to the Crofton site, and certainly before any tax
reduction is considered:
1. An independent baseline study of air and water quality, and their
health impacts, is to be produced for the communities surrounding the
mill. The study is to include
computer modeling of the airshed, soils testing of school playgrounds and agricultural
lands, and leachate sampling of the Company’s landfill sites.
2. Permanent ambient air testing stations are to be upgraded, relocated
as necessary and independently monitored, in all of the communities in
the airshed of the mill.
3. A system is to be established to inform the public immediately when emissions are
too high for health and safety so that residents can protect themselves.
4. An independently managed toll-free hotline is to be established for citizens in the
region to report problems emanating from the mill. Those complaints, and how they
were responded to, along with data from the ambient air testing stations, are to be
published each week throughout the year by the papers in the region.
In the event that the Company does not agree to fund these tasks, our
group will be pursuing the work by other means. We are also requesting
that MWLAP investigate and review the content, process and enforcement
of all NorskeCanada Crofton’s permits, including those relating to
solid waste disposal.
2 / 2
We are in favour of the establishment of an Advisory Group, to include
Council , CACG, and MWLAP, but only if the Terms of Reference for the
Advisory Group provide for a
comprehensive independent review of the emissions from the facility as
stated above, and for a clear process for their reduction and
elimination. Our objectives are clean air, clean water, clean soil. We
believe that these objectives are shared by Council and by the Company.
We also believe that they are achievable objectives, essential for the
long-term prosperity of both the Company and the airshed communities.
We have attached for your information our letter to MWLAP dated Jan 25.
More information is available on our website: www.croftonair.org
We look forward to the February 13 meeting, and to future discussions.
Yours,
Elizabeth White Carol Donnelly
250-537-2616 250-246-1305
for The Crofton Airshed Citizens Group |
Letters