Re: First Nations Chiefs oppose Malahat LNG project (Gazette, Mar. 4)
The Saanich Inlet is not a suitable place for a six million tonne gas liquefaction plant.
The proposed Malahat LNG facility is in no way compatible with any of the activities that residents and business owners currently enjoy in the Inlet.
We are proud of the recovery that is happening, we celebrated the return of the humpback whales last summer and we have been working to restore the world-renowned fishery. A gas plant in the Saanich Inlet is a preposterous idea.
For six months, Steelhead has been telling residents that they are in the early stages of their process. They have fewer answers now, than they did last November and they have failed to acknowledge the impacts and show the benefits to the people of the Saanich Inlet.
While they state they will put money in the local, provincial, federal and First Nations coffers they have never said how much and when asked questions about the air, marine, terrestrial, sound and light pollution of their gas plant, they sidestep each one.
While Steelhead has been elusive with all of the technical aspects of their proposal, they are willing to speculate on the “potential” jobs it may create. Floating these hypothetical numbers is irresponsible without the context of the other socio-economic impacts that come along with a gas plant.
How will this project affect property values? What will the impact on Butchart Gardens and other tourism operators be? Will there be a cascading effect on tourism throughout the region?
There are countless economic development opportunities for Malahat First Nation’s Bamberton property, that are compatible with the well-developed local economy around it. A gas plant is not one of them.
Adam Olsen
Central Saanich