If you are concerned about the health and well-being of your community not only from a health perspective but also the wellness of the environment and our ocean and the shipping of thermal coal is of concern to you please consider signing this petition asking the Premier of BC, the Minister of Energy and Mines and the Minister of Environment to require a comprehensive Environmental Impact Assessment and a Health Impact Assessment as has been requested by Vancouver Coastal Health Chief Medical Health Officer Patricia Daly in regards to the thermal coal export and storage via Fraser Surrey Docks to Texada Island. BC does not want to be the largest exporter of coal in North America contributing massively to spiking CO2 emissions and at the very least we should know the impacts both environmentally and from a health standpoint for our communities to this drastic expansion. Thank you for your consideration.
Dear Honorable Christy Clark, Premier of BC;
Honorable Bill Bennett, Minister of Energy and Mines;
Honorable Mary Polak, Minister of Environment;
Mayor and Council of the City of Powell River,
The Powell River Regional District Board did not listen to the vast opposition by concerned residents, did not hear any of the facts presented about the negative impacts of thermal coal expansion, did not take the precautionary route as suggested in the Texada Island OCP when it comes to protecting their environment and did not take heed of their own policy document the Sustainability Charter for Powell River and Region when they voted unanymously in favour of expansion of the storage and transfer site on Texada Island for exporting up to 20 times more coal and now including US thermal coal from the Powder River Basin via Texada Island from Fraser Surrey Docks. We ask you to please require that a comprehensive environmental impact assessment and a health impact assessment be completed for the Strait of Georgia and the area around Powell River, Texada Island, Lasqueti Island all the way to Fraser Surrey Docks to fully understand what the health and environmental impacts could be on this entire region and how to mitigate them and also to consider the global impacts of this project before giving any approvals for expansion.
Thank you.
The Undersigned,
