I am reminded of the words of a song from the ’60s Where Have All the Flowers Gone with the refrain “When will they ever learn, When will they ever learn?” This pretty much describes the situation at Shawigan Lake.
A couple of years ago we moved here from the Fanny Bay area, where, for more than five years, a group of courageous residents dealt with the threat of a coal mine, uphill from a local drinking water source, and world famous Fanny Bay Oysters.
Fortunately, the proponent, Compliance Coal, pulled their application. No thanks to the provincial government but mostly due to public outcry. The threat could return at any time. There is virtually no protection of drinking water in B.C.
This flagrant disregard for protection of drinking water must change. It must not be continually left up to concerned citizens groups to do what is fundamentally the responsibility of governments.
It is not as though protection is some kind of rocket science. It is not. Any Grade 3 student can assure you that water runs downhill, and that it is a good solvent. What are mud pies made of? So why on earth would we allow toxic waste material to be dumped up stream from a drinking water source? It is completely ridiculous.
Come on folks, let’s all do our part. Persuade the government to pull their permit and stop further dumping before something really bad happens.
Terry Avery
Mill Bay