Heavy Metal Manufacturing in Cowichan Estuary Irresponsible

Dr. Rachel Johnson, Dr. Chris Richardson & familyNorth Cowichan, BCP.H. Sub #4264Re-zoning of WestCan TerminalDear CVRD Board members,It is with feelings of shock, sadness and growing anger that I write this letter concerning the rezoningapplication to permit heavy metal manufacturing and related activities on the WestCanTerminal located in the middle of the Cowichan River Estuary. As a family of professionals wehad the choice to live anywhere within a reasonable distance of Vancouver and Victoria. Icurrently work as an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Medicine at UBC which enables me towork remotely most of the time and my partner is an experienced veterinarian (who also holdsa Master’s of Science in Natural Resources Management focused on salmon health) who hadnumerous offers of employment in the lower mainland and south western BC. Of all thecommunities we visited we chose the Cowichan Valley because of the friendly and down toearth people, strong community interest in small scale environmentally sustainable farming andlast but not least the beautiful Cowichan River Estuary. Whether it is kayaking with our childrenand grandson in the estuary (where we regularly see families of otters, seals, sea lions, swans,eagles, ospreys, and all sorts of ducks) or looking down from “The Cross” from up on top of theridge along Mount Tzouhalem we are always awestruck with the stunning beauty andbiodiversity of the estuary and watershed that extends up the valley. This estuary is not only acritically important area of biodiversity that supports many sport and commercial fisheries andmarine mammals, it is also a very special place that warrants extremely careful and wellexecuted management – there just aren’t many places like this left in BC!Needless to say, we were shocked to hear that a large foreign owned corporation has beenoperating for years in the estuary in direct contravention of current zoning bylaws andenvironmental regulation. This shock turned to anger when we were told that this samecompany now wants permission to re-zone the WestCan Terminal lands for heavy industrial usewithout a comprehensive community consultation and rigorous independent environmentalassessment. This seems to be the opposite of where this community wants to go –> careful longterm sustainable planning that enhances our environment while diversifying the economy! Ifthis re-zoning were to take place it would set a dangerous precedent of rewarding corporationsfor ignoring current environmental and zoning regulations in one of the most sensitive andbiodiverse parts of the Cowichan Valley. We have been following the debate over the last fewweeks and it is clear that it is a high priority issue for many people in the Cowichan Valleythat warrants careful consideration of all the facts involved – especially the potentialenvironmental impact of any re-zoning and the necessary precautions that need to be put inplace to safeguard this invaluable resource. Unfortunately, the political processes associatedwith the current re-zoning effort seem to run contrary to the very policies in place to ensurethis watershed is protected for current and future generations to come. Our entire family –especially our children - are starting to feel that the process is a meaningless sham and thatresidents of the Cowichan Valley cannot trust their elected officials to honestly represent theinterests of their constituents and follow existing government regulations. Without a fullyindependent environmental assessment the rhetoric, debate and protests will undoubtedlyescalate while the perceived integrity of our elected officials will plummet.This is an extremely important decision that will have a wide reaching and long term impact onthe Cowichan Valley and the Cowichan River Estuary in particular – at the very least thisdecision requires extensive community consultation and a rigorous independent environmentalimpact assessment that provides the necessary facts for council to make a fully informeddecision.Thank-you for taking the time to hear from our family.Sincerely,Dr. Rachel Johnson, Dr. Chris Richardson & family