I have just returned from three very intense days of local government meetings at the Union of BC Municipalities' forum for electoral area representatives in Richmond. Exhausting, but invigorating! Lots of ideas and energy from around the province for me to learn from.

And now I am back and hard at it. I am only going to touch on two topics this issue; Bute Inlet power project and Granite Bay wharf project.

Bute Inlet power project - Public Town Hall meeting - March 1st - 11am to 4pm - Please be there!

I cannot begin to tell you (collectively) how absolutely proud I was of the residents of Quadra and the outer islands for the phenomenal attendance at the Campbell River meeting on February 2nd regarding this project. It is so heartening to know that so many of you care so much about the place in which we live. It was an honour to be able to get up and speak on your behalf as your elected representative. It was also incredibly awesome to be speaking to 450 faces in the crowd and to know that they were listening. Thank you all so very much for taking time out of your busy schedules to attend such an important meeting.

Please keep in mind that this is only the beginning. Some of you may not be used to processes such as this. It would be totally normal for a person to expect that after that meeting, and the concerns that were expressed, that the project would go away. Not the case. And I do not say that to discourage. I say it to let you know that we have just entered into a process that will go on for awhile and we have set the stage. This was a crucial step. The Environmental Assessment Office (EAO) knows that they have lots of revisions to make to their Terms of Reference and the proponent now knows that this will be no cake walk. The comment period continues until February 18th and I encourage all of you to make sure that you and everyone that you know and everyone that they know, sends in comments. This is so important. Go to ButeInlet.net for all you need to know about how to submit and what the issues are. If you don't want to go the web site here are the two main people that need to hear from you: You can send comments directly to the Federal Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency, attention Marie-France Therrien at bute.reviewceaa-acee.gc.ca and to the Provincial Environmental Assessment Office, attention Kathy Eichenberger, at eaoinfogov.bc.ca Please do send your comments to both.

The verbal comments at the Campbell River meeting were not recorded for the official record. This is why it is so crucial that written comments be sent in.

Local interest and local input is going to play a big role in the outcome of this proposed mega development. Islanders really can make a difference with the information we provide to the EAO. As I have said in the past, together we can do anything. And I truly believe it. This is not the first "fight" that I have been involved in. Take the fight to keep the lightstations staffed. I may have led that fight, but it was the fact that we did it together that made it successful. This is no different. We were fighting all of the resources of the Federal government and we won. We are now fighting large corporate entities that have a plan. There is so much potential profit in this development that the corporations (Plutonic and GE) are pulling out all the stops to push it through. But they are dealing with a community that is committed to preserving our way of life and that of the animals that inhabit the area under attack. This company managed to get the Toba Inlet project approved, mostly under the public radar, by not even dealing with us as a community nor with me as the local representative nor with the Strathcona Regional District Board. This project needs our input and we need to be informed. So, please write a letter to express your concerns. Once again, go to ButeInlet.net for all of the info you will need to write an informed letter and for all of the addresses of all of the people that must receive the letter.

I have secured a Quadra meeting date after a lengthy phone conversation with the EAO project manager last Wednesday. She was extremely impressed with the people of this area and with the concerns expressed at the meeting. She has agreed to hold a meeting here on Quadra Island on Sunday, March 1st, from 11am until 4 pm at the Quadra Community Centre. I am going to try to arrange for lunch to be served so that people will not need to leave this very important event. This meeting will not have the restrictions of the last meeting with regard to speaking only to the Terms of Reference. We will be allowed to speak to our concerns or issues regarding the entire project. I will be chairing the meeting and while I will always invite healthy debate and constructive criticism, I will be asking that the people who will be there as presenters be treated with respect. I know that you would not want it any other way.

So, Quadra, Cortes and the outer islands and inlets will now get their say at this stage of the process. I am very pleased to have been able to get this meeting and I hope that we will have an overflow crowd. I am depending on you to make it so. Bring your friends, neighbours and relatives! With overwhelming public concern we may be able to stop or slow this project so that it can have a more proper Federal review. This is not only about Bute Inlet. This is about the rest of the coast as well. It won't stop here!. Loughborough and Knight Inlets are next and applications are already in process.

Please write and then Please attend!

On the same topic, but as a slight tangent, I received notice earlier today about what the Federal government is up to that might impact this Bute Inlet project. Right now we are at the beginning of an Environmental Review process. It is called a harmonized process where the Feds and the Province both accept the same info and consider it separately. We have been trying to get them to step it up a notch to make it a Federal Review Panel which is much more comprehensive and inclusive. I am being told that this is going to happen. Then I got the following news regarding the Federal direction.

The Federal government is trying to use economic hardship as an excuse to loosen environmental regulation, according to documents obtained by members of other parties. The documents confirm recent suggestions by Ministers Raitt and Baird that the Federal government
view rules that protect the environment as mere “red tape”.

The leaked documents show the Federal government is planning to rush a watered-down version of the Environmental Assessment Act through parliament as early as March or April. The new rules would exempt from environmental assessment: any Building Canada
infrastructure projects under $10 million regardless of the environmental or health risk; any project on federal lands or using federal dollars; and, any project that a provincial government asks be exempted. It has also been revealed that the new law would limit federal oversight of an environmental impact assessment through the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency (CEAA).

So, this could have some negative impact on the Bute process if the Feds do manage to push this change through. Here's hoping that they don't. So, I think I have said enough on this topic for this issue. The message is simple: write your letters and attend the meeting!

Granite Bay wharf - Volunteers! - sign up!

We are down to the final strokes on the planning of this much awaited project. The meetings have been often and the phone calls daily. I now have the floats, anchors, lines and chains, all hardware, trucking, loading and off-loading, marine terminal storage and shipping, landing barge shipping and placement, wood side rails and tie-up rails and many other parts donated and ready for assembly. Final details will be put to paper later this week, including the timeline which will see an April completion date and one heck of a celebration of our success!

So, now I need a solid list of volunteers to assemble the wooden components in Campbell River (ferry fares will be taken care of) and to be on site at Granite Bay to help with the final installation. Please contact me by email or by phone to volunteer to help out. This is a joint local government, industry and community project. We need to hold up our end as "community" through our volunteer efforts. I need to know as soon as possible, so please be in touch. This is going to be a remarkable achievement and I am really looking forward to the opening of our second community wharf complete with all the best in upgrades, mostly done by generous donation. More on the contributors next issue.

There are many more things that I am working on and that are in progress but I think that is enough for this issue. I don't want to try your patience any more than I already have! Feel free to call me between the hours of 8:30 am and 7:00 pm, Monday through Friday (not on weekends, folks!) at 285-3355, or you can fax me at 285-3533 or you can email me anytime at abramfamoberon.ark.com , or by mail at Box 278 in the Cove, V0P 1N0... Lots of choices!

Respectfully submitted,

Jim Abram
Director, Discovery Islands - Mainland Inlets (Area C), SRD