Vancouver Province
for March 10, 2000

As if the NDP didn’t have enough on its hands it now faces an environmental conundrum which, apart from all else, impacts a couple of NDP ridings.

First some background. Pitt Lake is the largest tidal lake in the world and is serviced by the Upper Pitt River which, itself and its tributaries, are breeding beds for Coho and Sockeye salmon as well as home, from time to time, of Cutthroat and Bull trout. As well, enormous Sturgeon, 20 feet long and longer, spawn near the mouth of the Upper Pitt. These prehistoric behemoths are, in many ways, a mystery but it seems that they migrate as far away as California and return to the Pitt to spawn. Also, near the mouth of the Upper Pitt, is a tidal channel called Red Slough which is known for its Cutthroat fishing and as a rearing area for other salmonids.

About 7 kilometers up the Upper Pitt is a proposed gravel pit owned by Mainland Sand & Gravel of Surrey and the company proposes to start mining this gravel before the end of June.

The environmental concerns are these:- will the operation adversely affect nearby Olson Creek (which is a breeding area for Sockeye and the largest run of Coho in the Fraser system) as well as rearing ponds put in place by the B.C. Steelhead Society; and will there be an impact near the mouth of the Upper Pitt from 60 truckloads of gravel a day deposited on barges to be sent to the company’s main operation in Surrey?

What makes this even more interesting is that legislation requiring a full Environmental Assessment process was not brought in until after Mainland got its licence. They claim "grandfather rights". All that’s holding them back now is getting permits to load the gravel on its barges.

I looked at the area by helicopter last Monday. I am no expert, I grant you, but flying over the proposed gravel pit could leave no doubt but that Olson Creek would be impacted. The trouble here is one of optics. If you looked at this small creek and its smaller tributaries – which sometimes dry up completely – you would be astounded to hear that they house such a large number of Coho. This astonishment could only be because like most British Columbians you imagine Coho spawning in huge numbers in large rivers as do Sockeye (at the Adams, for example). They don’t. Coho are now so scarce because they spawn in such small waterways – sometimes a farmer’s ditch – which we keep buggering up on the notion that no harm is being done. I learned this lesson as a boy fishing Tin Can Creek on the Musqueam Reserve, a creek that was only a few feet wide and a couple of feet deep where there has always been a significant Coho run.

Gravel creates dust. Dust settles into watersheds and becomes silt. Silt kills fish and renders their breeding redds unusable. From my own observations I would have to say that if this mine goes ahead, kiss Olson Creek goodbye. Not necessarily this year or next, but it’s only a matter of time.

As to the river mouth, I cannot imagine how a gravel operation of this size, with the dust it will create and the potential for oil spills and the like, could avoid adversely impacting the salmon and sturgeon populations.

But what do I know, right? Right. And that’s where the new Environment Minister Joan Sawicki comes in. Grandfathered or not, Mainland Sand & Gravel must be compelled to go through a full Environmental Assessment so all interests can be heard and a sound judgment rendered.

The owner has paid for his own study and even it raises concerns. The owner also assured me on air that he would take any remedial steps necessary but we all know they often fail – besides the owner is on record with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans for refusing to obey their orders.

This area is the last unspoiled region of the Lower Mainland. It’s fish and wildlife values are enormous. If Mainland is permitted to mine this gravel without having passed a full environments assessment, and things go wrong, it will be on the head of this government.

Ms Sawicki has a reputation of being tough – OK, Minister, here’s one for you. Let’s see just how tough you really are.