On December 2 I sent a letter to the Minister of Environment. In the letter I expressed my concerns regarding the ongoing activities at the site in the Shawnigan Lake watershed where contaminated soils are being delivered. My letter was initiated in response to the release of two Cowichan Valley Regional District (CVRD) reports.

As noted in the Thurber Engineering Ltd report, “The presence of the large volume of water emerging from under the rock armour at the head of the ephemeral stream indicates that runoff storm water sourced from the SIA site is bypassing the sediment pond (i.e by flowing under it) and is being discharged directly onto the land owned by the CVRD”.

Below I  provide photographs of the sediment pond [panel a], as well as a large pond beside the sediment pond [panel b]. The report suggests that much of the water bypasses the sediment pond and leaves via an ephemeral stream [panel c].

a)    b)

c)

I have yet to receive a response to my letter but I note that the Ministry responded directly to the CVRD’s letter sent on the same day as mine. The ministry has also detailed their timeline of compliance and monitoring.

In the Ministry’s response to CVRD they state:

The Letter

The Honourable Mary Polak
Minister of Environment
Room 112
Parliament Buildings
Victoria B.C.

December 2^nd 2015

Dear Minister Polak,

On December 1^st 2015 the Cowichan Valley Regional District released an engineering report, commissioned by the district, evaluating unauthorized water discharge from the contaminated soil treatment site managed by Cobble Hill Holdings Ltd. near Shawnigan Lake. The Thurber Engineering report titled ‘Storm Water Management Observations, South Island Aggregate’ is clear and blunt in its assessment:

“The presence of the large volume of water emerging from under the rock armour at the head of the ephemeral stream indicates that runoff storm water sourced from the SIA site is bypassing the sediment pond (i.e by flowing under it) and is being discharged directly onto the land owned by the CVRD”

The report also concluded the sediment pond meant to hold water runoff from the site is ‘relatively porous’ and therefore completely inadequate as a containment system.

In addition, on November 18^th 2015, Jennifer McGuire, Executive Director of the Ministry of Environment Regional Operations Branch, issued a formal warning letter to Cobble Hill Holdings regarding permit PR-105809 raising concerns regarding the ability of the operator to ensure effective operation of the site and to manage unauthorized discharges in accordance with the license.

These are only the most recent developments following months of gathered evidence and serious concerns on water quality raised by the residents and property owners around Shawnigan Lake, the CVRD, Island Health, Cowichan Tribes, myself and others.

In light of this I am asking you use your authority and prerogative as Minister of Environment to:

1: Immediately suspend permit PR-105809 and order the operator to cease operations.

2: Commission an independent engineering firm to evaluate water source, flow and containment, bedrock analysis and operating and emergency procedures to determine if the site can be remediated to comply with the permit.

I am available to discuss this at your convenience and look forward to your immediate attention.

Sincerely

Andrew Weaver
MLA – Oak Bay – Gordon Head

Constituency Report is a public service that Shaw TV graciously offers MLAs. This month’s video is provided below.

Judy Fainstein and I once more tried something different. The first segment follows the usual discussion of legislative issues relevant to Oak Bay-Gordon Head and British Columbia in general. In the second segment, I introduce Teresa Hartrick, the constituency assistant in my MLA office. We discuss the type of issues a constituency office deals with as well as the type of work a constituency assistant does.

As always, I’d be interested in your feedback on this constituency report.

Constituency Report

Media Statement December 1, 2015
Operations should immediately cease at Shawnigan soil treatment site – Andrew Weaver MLA
For Immediate Release

Andrew Weaver, MLA for Oak Bay Gordon Head and Deputy Leader of the BC Green Party is calling on Island Health and the Ministry of Environment to immediately shut down operations at the contaminated soil processing facility near Shawnigan Lake, in response to a CVRD report released today.

“The release of the engineering report raises very serious concerns regarding the safety of the ongoing operations.” said Andrew Weaver. “There has been a profound and pervasive dereliction of duty within the Ministries of Environment and Energy and Mines. The citizens of the region have collectively lost confidence in the ability of the BC Liberals to look out for their safety.”

The report, commissioned by the Cowichan Valley Regional District, identifies serious concerns about surface runoff and throughflow potentially becoming contaminated but not adequately being contained or treated. In particular, it concluded that “runoff storm water sourced from the SIA site is bypassing the sediment pond (i.e. by flowing under it) and is being discharged directly onto the land owned by the CVRD.” This occurred despite the fact the BC Government mandates that all surface water is required to be “contained on the property and treated in accordance with the permit”.

The report cites a lack of clarity regarding provisions related to the infiltration of surface water and suggests that “stormwater from a facility that handles contaminated soil should be managed in a way that allows for contaminant sampling and controlled discharge.”

“How the BC Liberals issued an operating permit in light of the very serious findings of the CVRD report is beyond me.” said Andrew Weaver. “The permit should be immediately rescinded, operations ceased, and a full independent investigation initiated.”

 -30-

Engineering report commissioned by CVRD (Linked here)

Media Contact

Mat Wright
Press Secretary – Andrew Weaver MLA
Cell: 250 216 3382
Mat.wright@leg.bc.ca
Twitter: @MatVic

Parliament Buildings
Room 027C
Victoria BC V8V 1X4

Each spring the Legislative assembly of British Columbia invites post-secondary students from across Canada to participate in the Summer Tour Program. As Tour Guides and Parliamentary Players, these students bring parliamentary procedure and British Columbian history to life for countless students and visitors.

The Summer Guide Program is a four-month opportunity for students to gain work experience providing educational tours to the general public about the Legislative Assembly. Summer Tour Guides must be enrolled at an accredited post-secondary institution with public speaking experience and the ability to communicate fluently in English and a second language.

Likewise, the Parliamentary Players Program is a four-month opportunity for students to gain work experience in the field of applied theatre. Actors will perform roles as significant historical and political figures from B.C.’s past. Parliamentary Players must also be enrolled at an accredited post-secondary institution with theatrical experience and be able to convincingly portray historical characters and creatively ad-lib with visitors.

Applications for the Summer Tour Guides Program and the Parliamentary Players Program are due by December 31st, 2015. For more information on these programs and how to apply, please visit the Legislative Assembly of B.C.’s Job Postings webpage.

Strategically scheduling the meeting around lunch time, I was delighted to be back at Maria’s Deli – a staple during our campaign in 2013. Leading up to the last provincial election my campaign office was located across the street from this amazing deli on Shelbourne and Feltham and I credit them with keeping my team well fed and happy throughout every long, busy day. A family focused business, Maria’s Deli was started in 1977 by Maria Pereria and her husband Floyd. Though they both immigrated to Canada from Sao Miguel Portugal, Maria and Floyd didn’t meet until they signed up for the same English class at Vic High.

Their shop has been in the same location for 38 years and though it is now largely run by their daughter Susan Coombs, it hasn’t changed much. When I arrived Susan was behind the counter cheerfully helping an older customer. Switching between speaking English and Portuguese she says, “She has been coming here as long as I can remember!” Her parents opened the deli the year after she was born and she spent much of her childhood here helping out and visiting with customers, officially starting to work for them when she was 14.

Now Susan works there with her own daughter, who just finished high school. “The people are the most enjoyable part of working here,” they both agree. It shows too, the place is bustling with people greeting one another and chatting as they shop. Two construction workers come in to get lunch, “I’ve been coming here for 20 years!” one of them tells me even though he looks like he’s hardly 30. He helps another customer read the label on a tin of cookies as Susan makes their sandwiches, slicing their choice of meat and cheese from the huge selection in front of them. Amazingly, their lunch costs less than $5.00. There are fridges stacked with 10 kilo rounds of cheese and an incredible variety of olive oil, vinegar, pasta, and meat. A baker from Esquimalt walks in carrying a tray of Portuguese buns on her shoulder, she delivers buns to Maria’s Deli nearly every day, she says. Today she is dropping off 20 dozen.

Susan and her daughter joke and laugh as they work and another customer proudly tells me they’ve been coming here for years. “Oh and her mother in law too!” Susan says, “We go way back.”

Maria’s Deli is a wonderful mainstay in this community, feeding generations of families – and campaign teams lucky enough to work nearby.