| May 31, 2006
Position Statement - South
Fraser Perimeter Road
Introduction
The Gateway Project Office has presented
to the public a proposed routing for the South Fraser Perimeter
Road (SFPR); a portion of which is proposed to run immediately
to the north and west of the Burns Bog Conservation Area.
This statement presents the Burns Bog Conservation Society’s
position on the proposed routing and related issues based
on the facts as presented and known to the Burns Bog Conservation
Society at this time.
SFPR Routing
The Burns Bog Conservation Society hereby
issues the following statements in response to the proposed
routing of the SFPR:
The Burns Bog Conservation Society is
adamantly opposed to any SFPR routing option that results
in any incursion into or collateral impact on the Burns
Bog Conservation area.
The Burns Bog Conservation Society does
not have the requisite engineering or commercial resources
to fully assess the relative merits of any SFPR routing
proposal. However the Burns Bog Conservation Society’s
position on the SFPR project is that any routing proposal
should take into account the world heritage nature of the
Burns Bog and all proposals should first and foremost meet
a “do no harm” criteria insofar as the Bog is
concerned.
The Burns Bog Conservation Society notes
that at a recent workshop on the Burns Bog ”lagg”
or transition zone held at UBC and attended by numerous
world class scientists as well as by Gateway staff, the
scientists were unanimous in their concern about the lack
of detailed scientific knowledge about the Burns Bog lagg
zone and its critical contribution to maintaining the Bog
ecosystem.
The Burns Bog Conservation Society notes
that the proposed SFPR routing almost certainly transects
the Burns Bog lagg zone and may negatively impact the lagg
zone and the bog itself via:
- Potential below grade disruption
of the water hydrology and thus the lifeblood of the Bog;
- Potential SFPR traffic generated fugitive dust and
water spray penetrating the Bog proper; and
- Potential wildlife disruption.
As a consequence the Burns Bog Conservation
Society’s position is that the SFPR Environmental
Assessment must address these issues in a comprehensive
fashion and that the Burns Bog Science Advisory Panel of
the GVRD Burns Bog planning team must rigorously review
the results in detail by the EAO as well.
The Burns Bog Conservation Society’s
position is that the Gateway Project has a substantial “burden
of proof” to clearly show that the proposed SFPR routing
will meet the “do no harm” criteria.
The Burns Bog Conservation Society’s
position is that in addition the Gateway Project has a further
burden of proof that the proposed routing will be consistent
with the stringent conditions for Burns Bog preservation
as codified in the environment covenant agreed to by all
levels of government at the time of the Burns Bog acquisition
and the expenditure of $73M of the taxpayers monies.
Alternative SFPR Routings
The Burns Bog Conservation Society is
aware of a number of alternative SFPR routing proposals;
notably the Hoover-Nass proposal.
The Burns Bog Conservation Society assessment
is that the Hoover-Nass proposal in particular appears to
meet our fundamental criteria of “do no harm”.
Authorized for Release by:
Eliza Olson
President
Q&A
The following questions and answers
are provided to assist the reader in understanding and interpreting
the Burns Bog Conservation Society’s position on the
SFPR.
Q1. Is the Burns Bog
Conservation Society opposed to the SFPR?
A1. The Society is
opposed to any activity that is shown to adversely impact
Burns Bog.
Q2. Does the Society
believe the SFPR will damage the bog?
A2. The Burns Bog Conservation
Society’s position is that the Gateway Project has
the “burden of proof “ to clearly and convincingly
demonstrate via science-based evidence that the SFPR will
not harm Burns Bog. We do note that the Hoover-Naas proposal
appears to meet our “do no harm” criteria.
Q3. Does the Burns
Bog Conservation Society support the Hoover-Naas Proposal?
A3. The Society does
not have the expertise to judge whether any particular SFPR
proposal should be supported in comparison to any other
proposal. We are simply opposed to any negative impacts
on Burns Bog from any source.
Q4. Does the Burns
Bog Conservation Society support the Sunbury neighborhood
in opposition to the SFPR routing in North Delta?
A4. The Society has
not reviewed the SFPR routing in North Delta in detail but
does note that the concerns of affected citizens and believes
that these concerns should be carefully considered and every
effort made to alleviate and mitigate whenever possible
the societal and environmental impacts of the SFPR on all
affected areas.
File; Position Statement on SFPR
May 31, 2006.doc
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