Last month, MLA Jordan Sturdy and MP Jonathan Wilkinson hosted a meeting in Squamish with local government and indigenous leaders with the goal “to enhance transparency with respect to progress of the (Woodfibre LNG) project.”
More than 150 supporters stood outside to voice their opposition to Woodfibre LNG, as their representatives walked into the meeting at Squamish Municipal Hall, with banners reading “No Pipelines, No Tankers, No Woodfibre LNG.” People travelled from as far away as Vancouver, Bowen Island, Whistler and the Sunshine Coast, taking time off work on a Friday morning.
“Woodfibre LNG has donated more than $60,000 to the BC Liberals in 2016 alone. That’s pretty cheap to buy a rubber stamp for your environmental assessment. But Woodfibre LNG is not a done deal. Every community around Howe Sound has expressed their opposition to Woodfibre LNG. More than 10,000 people have signed the Howe Sound Declaration in opposition to Woodfibre LNG. People power will stop this project,” said Tracey Saxby, one of the co-founders of My Sea to Sky.
Following the demonstration, supporters wrote messages to their representatives in chalk:
“BC LNG is one big lie.”
“Focus on renewable energy.”
“Save Howe Sound.”
“For our kids.”
LNG tankers put Howe Sound residents at risk
Based on International Safety Standards, we know that Howe Sound is the wrong place for an LNG export facility. Canada still doesn’t have any safety regulations for LNG tankers and the information being used by the Technical Review Process of Marine Systems and Transhipment (TERMPOL) to develop LNG tanker regulations is old or flawed. Public safety is not being taken seriously.
Woodfibre LNG threatens the recovery of Howe Sound
Millions of taxpayer dollars have been spent cleaning up the toxic legacies of previous industries, such as the Nexen chemical plant, the Woodfibre pulp mill and the Britannia Beach mine. As a direct result, Howe Sound is slowly recovering: the herring and the whales are coming back. Woodfibre LNG threatens this recovery through underwater noise, which impacts herring, salmon, whales and other wildlife.
Air pollution from Woodfibre LNG will impact public health at a social cost of over $20 million per year.
Even though Woodfibre LNG is using electricity as the main power source, there will still be significant air pollution during operation. Woodfibre LNG is estimating air pollution emissions of 295.7 tonnes of nitrous oxides (NOx) and 43.8 tonnes of sulfur dioxide (SO2) every year.
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Source: My Sea to Sky, a volunteer organization that was started in early 2014 in opposition to the proposed Woodfibre LNG project. More than 10,000 supporters have signed the Howe Sound declaration. www.myseatosky.org
photo by Les MacDonald
LNG loading at the old Woodfibre site in Howe Sound has to be absolute lunacy. Howe Sound is extremely busy with multiple ferries , tow boat traffic , and private boats, There have been many accidents I can recall in my time with the B.C.FOREST SERVICE in this area. If an LNG tanker has a leak of product on board how will we prevent a catastrophic explosion. That would wipe out everything to Point Atkinson.
To think Woodfibre LNG production, storage and export will have no impact on environment is living in cloud cuckoo land. Emmissions in the air, noise and temperature rise (from air cooled system) and water temperature rise in case of water cooled systems is bound to change the ecology of Howe Sound in the long run. Add to that the risk of fires and explosions from gas leaks or malfunctions can have devastating consequences on the surroundings. The plant is not likely to create many jobs either. The chief beneficiary of the economic impact from this whole project will be Chinese company touting for it, not the public.