Chilliwack Progress: Waste facility location ‘fraught with risk’
by Jennifer Feinberg – Chilliwack Progress
The message from the jam-packed meeting was clear.
Find another location for the proposed waste recycling plant, far away from the edge of the Fraser River. More than 150 people filled Evergreen Hall Saturday in Chilliwack, spilling out into the hall.
They came to hear river conservationist Mark Angelo and other river stewards, like First Nations, sport fishing and enviro reps, speak passionately about their concerns about PCBs and mercury being recycled and transferred at a site on Cattermole lands.
Reps from a total of 17 groups have come together to oppose the rezoning, said Rod Clapton of the B.C. Federation of Drift Fishers.
Some speakers asked about the prospect of legal action to stop the rezoning, while others wondered if Ministry of the Environment could step in.
Clapton said they support development, but with the proviso that it be done in an environmentally responsible way.
“We’re not opposed to the facility. We’re opposed to the location,” said Clapton.
He recommended that people “demand accountability” from their elected officials, in the form of a full environmental assessment before the project gets off the ground.
Read the full article in the Chilliwack Progress.