Bowen Island councillor Maureen Nicholson says she was pleased to see so many Bowen Islanders turn up for the Woodfibre LNG open house seeking information last Friday. She says the open house mirrored her experience at a seminar she and councillor Sue Ellen Fast attended in Squamish in December, in that the level of production was very professional – the difference, she says, is that the Bowen Island event industry representatives were willing to answer questions.
“On the first day [in Squamish], there was a portion on jobs and skills training, the kind of employment you could look forward to if you wanted to go into the LNG industry,” says Nicholson. “It was targeted towards children, and kids from local schools were bused in. It was very interactive, and looked like it would be probably quite fun for them.”
Nicholson says that this segment was followed by a trade show hosted by colleges, the Oil and Gas Commission of BC, and Gordon Wilson from Clean Energy BC –an organization sponsored by the provincial government – talking about their perspectives on LNG.
“This was followed by a series of talks on different topics, such as shipping safety, the Telus world of science, outlining different kinds of energy, and then finally, a Q&A with Rich Coleman, BC’s deputy Minister of Energy,” says Nicholson. “I expected it to be more factual. And I would have expected representatives from the government to be more balanced, encouraging people to look at both sides of the issue, but it was promotional.”
Councillor Fast says that during the event, she looked for representatives from various government bodies who would participate in regulating the LNG industry.
“I couldn’t find anyone from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, no one who would be responsible for looking at the impact of the marine environment,” says Fast. “I didn’t see anyone from BC Hydro there either, which is surprising considering it seems they will be supplying the energy to do the liquification – at least in the Woodfibre facility.”
Fast says that during the Q&A period with Minister Coleman, she had the opportunity to ask a question.
“I told him that the province’s contract with BC Ferries has resulted in rising fares, and that has done a lot to damage our businesses in Snug Cove. Then I asked him if this LNG facility near Squamish will further damage our economy, because we’ll have tankers instead of dolphins in Howe Sound,” says Fast. “He simply told me that the tankers will be fairly new, and very small. This was followed by councillors from Squamish asking questions which he didn’t have answers for. Walking away with out answers, this left me feeling very concerned.”
Fast says that she believes by making the most of access to other levels of government, and by collaborating with other communities with similar concerns, the Bowen Island Municipality does have the opportunity to make an impact on this issue.
