Get rid of archaic practice of burning
To: mayor and council, Municipality of North Cowichan
As the topography of this region doesn’t lend itself to open burning, it is my sincere hope that this practice will soon be history in the Cowichan Valley.
Not only do the residents of the Valley have to contend with the pollutants we ourselves produce, but also as we have seen recently, the smoke from the out-of-control fires from the B.C. Interior. Not to mention the pollution brought to our shores almost daily from China by the prevailing winds. An ongoing problem. For years I lived on Canada’s eastern edge where one could frequently enjoy the incredible night skies. Something I’ve never witnessed here in the Valley, at least nothing comparable.
Taking into consideration the economics and what is practical, there has to be a solution other than burning the wood waste here in this region. Bings Creek is obviously designed to handle waste at a certain level. One would think that there would be a machine, not unlike those that chop up metal, that would be mobile and convert much of the waste into wood chips or something similar. I’m thinking of a device that is heavy duty and something more than the typical wood chipper. For an entrepreneur, surely an opportunity worth investigating.
Whatever the outcome with regards further deliberations by North Cowichan, I with many others, sincerely hope this archaic business of open burning will finally terminate, replaced by a method environmentally friendly and compatible with the needs and good health of the children, the elderly, in fact all those that reside here in the Cowichan Valley.
May North Cowichan finally find a solution to this problem.
Peter Dawson
Duncan