Don't let FortisBC pollute Átl’ḵa7tsem / Howe Sound

December 8, 2023
Rhiannon Fox

FortisBC has applied to the BC Energy Regulator to discharge wastewater at both ends of its proposed 14-foot wide, 9-kilometre tunnel under the Squamish estuary: at the BC Rail site and at the Woodfibre site.

Woodfibre LNG has also applied to discharge 1,600 cubic metres of effluent per day at the Woodfibre site for over four years.

These three permits together could result in cumulative, long-term toxic effects for wildlife and ecosystems in Átl’ḵa7tsem / Howe Sound. There is also a risk of significant human health impacts from exposure to heavy metals and persistent organic pollutants (dioxins and furans).

We need your help to document how people use the Squamish River, the Estuary, or Howe Sound for recreation, fishing, or harvesting traditional foods. Are you a business owner that uses this area for your business? Do you fish, swim, paddle, or do windsports here? You could be negatively affected by the approval of these permits.

We complained to the regulator that FortisBC failed to adequately notify the public about the opportunity to comment on these permit applications in 2020. The BC Energy Regulator agreed, and instructed FortisBC to re-do the 30-day public comment period. That public comment period started on November 30 and runs until December 30.

Please take a moment to send a letter to the B.C Energy Regulator and ask them to reject these permit applications. Personalized letters are much more impactful.

SEND A LETTER TO THE B.C. ENERGY REGULATOR

Rhiannon Fox

Campaign Coordinator
My Sea to Sky

P.S. Our handy letter writing tool will send a letter to the BC Energy Regulator, FortisBC, your MP, and your MLA. But you can also submit a comment on your own to Waste.Management@bc-er.ca and egp@fortisbc.com by 30th December 2023.

My Sea to Sky is incredibly proud and grateful to say that we rely on the My Sea to Sky community for small donations that provide the majority of our funding. Since our launch in 2014, we have been funded through personal savings, family and friends; and powered by the passion of our volunteers. Your generous contribution will help us to run our critical campaigns to defend, protect, and restore Howe Sound. Can you chip in?