• Art by Nat Tuke
Art by Nat Tuke

Stand up for human rights: hold Woodfibre LNG accountable

WHAT

Stand up and speak up at the public hearing for Woodfibre LNG's proposed floating workcamp on April 23.

WHEN

6:00 pm to 11:59 pm, Tuesday 23rd April, 2024

WHERE

Brennan Park
1009 Centennial Way
Squamish

WHAT TO BRING

  • Your friends, family, and neighbours
  • Pick up a sign at the door
  • If you'd like to speak, email phspeakerslist@squamish.ca to register


83 attending. Let's get to 100.

What is happening?

Woodfibre LNG has applied for a Temporary Use Permit (TUP) for a floating workcamp to house up to 650 workers. On Tuesday, April 23, the District of Squamish is holding a public hearing to listen to the community’s concerns as they consider this application.

We plan to fill this room to overflowing with people that are willing to stand up, speak up, and share their concerns about the floatel with council.

This is a critical moment in the fight to stop Woodfibre LNG. Can you join us?

Three ways to take action:

1. Send a letter to council before 6pm on April 23.

2. Hold a sign at the public hearing on April 23 (no preparation necessary). RSVP ABOVE!

3. Sign up to speak at the public hearing on April 23. Email phspeakerslist@squamish.ca now to sign up to the Speaker's List.

What can we ask council to do?

This is a discretionary decision, which means that council is under no obligation to approve Woodfibre LNG's floatel. Council has the jurisdiction to:

  1. Reject the TUP.
  2. Defer a decision on the TUP.
  3. Refer the TUP back to staff until missing information and reports are provided.

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Share your story and perspective

What is your stake in the community? How will the floatel affect you and your family? What are your concerns about the floatel? Were you ever consulted by Woodfibre LNG in this process? Have you had enough time to meaningfully participate in this process?

IMPORTANT! If you'd like to speak at the public hearing on April 23, 2024, email phspeakerslist@squamish.ca now to sign up to the Speaker's List.

This does not fit our Official Community Plan

This is a rezoning application to allow a temporary workcamp in an industrial area. This does not fit our official community plan. Council can and should deny the permit.

Missing reports and unanswered questions

Woodfibre LNG’s TUP application is missing key reports, and several questions remain unanswered. How can council make an informed decision without this information?

Process concerns

The District of Squamish has failed to follow its own process and policies. Before making a decision, council must ensure that the following assessments be completed:

What's the rush?

The District of Squamish has allowed Woodfibre LNG to skip the queue to enable its unrealistic construction timelines. A sense of urgency or time pressure from the proponent is not an allowable consideration. Council and the community deserve to take the time necessary to properly evaluate if a "floatel" is the best solution for Squamish.

Pressure tactics

Woodfibre LNG committed to this $100 million floatel as early as August 2023 before it had received its Provincial or Federal approvals in November 2023. The floatel arrived in Vancouver in January 2024, and the company appears to be using its investment to pressure the District of Squamish.

That's a risk that Woodfibre LNG knowingly chose to take. The District of Squamish is under no obligation to approve the Temporary Use Permit for Woodfibre LNG's floatel.

No legacy for the community

In 2014, the community told Woodfibre LNG that there is no housing available for its workers in Squamish. The company ignored our concerns.

The District of Squamish asked Woodfibre LNG to build permanent housing that could become a legacy benefit for the community. Woodfibre LNG has had since 2015 to make a safe plan to house its workers and has failed to do so.

Instead it has invested in a cheap and temporary solution that fails to leave a legacy for the community. Imagine if Woodfibre LNG had invested $100 million in affordable housing to demonstrate its commitment as a good corporate citizen?

Human rights impacts

There is a clear connection between violence and work camps for resource extraction projects. Woodfibre LNG is making empty promises to protect the community but there is no transparency about what they are proposing, and no accountability mechanisms in place. Woodfibre LNG is still failing to protect women, girls, and LGBTQ+ people from sex trafficking and sexual assault.

"Trust us" is not good enough. Council must ask for a public review of Woodfibre LNG's draft Gender and Cultural Safety Plan.

Children’s rights

Consideration of the rights of children and youth are enshrined in the Squamish Children’s Charter, including the right to participate and to be heard. The District of Squamish does not appear to have considered this human right.

Traffic safety concerns

Woodfibre LNG's workers will be accessing ferries via Site B, which is already a dangerous intersection on Highway 99. This is the same intersection that hundreds of FortisBC workers and subcontractors will be using to access the pipeline route and its proposed workcamp via the Mamquam Forest Service Road.

Recently, a worker from one of FortisBC's subcontractors attempted an extremely dangerous u-turn on Highway 99, resulting in a serious car accident that severely injuring three people, two of them Squamish locals.

It is well documented that traffic accidents increase near workcamps, yet there are no accountability mechanisms in place to hold FortisBC or Woodfibre LNG accountable for the actions of their workers or their subcontractors.

Waste disposal

Woodfibre LNG still doesn’t have a clear plan for how it will dispose of sewage, grey water, and solid waste. No plan? No permit.

Lack of consultation

Despite Woodfibre LNG’s assertions that they have undertaken “extensive consultation” with the community about the floatel, the only public engagement was one three-week consultation that was held in December 2019. Instead, their consultations have involved small meetings with hand-picked stakeholder representatives who have no mandate to speak on behalf of our community generally, and no accountability to us.

Council addressed this issue in 2023 with Woodfibre LNG directly who said they would consider holding a public consultation. However, it appears they chose not to.

Woodfibre LNG is promoting the floatel as a solution to the community’s feedback but they did not engage the community in developing the floatel as a solution. This is a solution that benefits industry—not communities or individuals.

Worker safety

Woodfibre LNG’s floatel is located less than 200 meters from the mouth of Woodfibre Creek and downstream of Henriette Lake Dam. As per BC Dam Safety Authority, Henriette Lake Dam's Consequence of Failure Classification is 'Extreme' and Failure Probability is ‘Moderate.’

When the project was originally assessed in 2015, Woodfibre LNG was required to upgrade the dam prior to the start of operations. But now more than 650 workers will be living on a floatel for up to six years during construction.

Like any other residential area, a Hazard Assessment must be completed to ensure the safety of workers living in this location before council can consider Woodfibre LNG’s floatel TUP.

Community capture

Woodfibre LNG has been trying to capture the community since 2014 with pocket change donations to local organizations and sports teams to buy silence and consent. Their latest donation of $900,000 to buy a CT scanner is a fraction of what Woodfibre LNG should be contributing to cover the impacts of its LNG export facility and FortisBC's pipeline project on our local healthcare system, which is already overwhelmed.

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Want even more info? Here's how you can prepare:

1. Watch the staff update to council at the recent March 26 Committee of the Whole meeting.
Time: ~50 minutes. Start at 3:43:50.

2. Read the 2024-03-26 staff report on Woodfibre LNG's proposed Temporary Use Permit for the floating workcamp.

3. Read the updated 2024-04-23 staff report.

4. Review the DRAFT Temporary Use Permit. Important! Council has discretion to reject this draft permit, add conditions, or refer it back to staff.

5. Read these key attachments from the staff report, including:

6. Read the instructions on how you can participate from the District of Squamish.

7. Send your letter to hearing@squamish.ca by 6pm on April 23, 2024, or use the letter-writing tool above.

8. IMPORTANT! If you'd like to speak at the public hearing on April 23, 2024, email phspeakerslist@squamish.ca now to sign up to the Speaker's List.

Relevant bylaws and policies

The key bylaws and policies relevant to Woodfibre LNG's TUP application are:

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References