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LNG Community Committee revealed

Group to provide input to Squamish council on Woodfibre LNG
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Committee Chosen Members of the 13-person Woodfibre LNG Community Committee have been named. File photo

After a lengthy application process, the District of Squamish has announced who will make up its Woodfibre LNG Community Committee.

The 13-member committee will provide input to Squamish Council and Woodfibre LNG throughout the controversial project's review process.

"We received a large number of high-calibre applications from highly educated, deeply experienced individuals representing a range of backgrounds," District of Squamish CAO Corien Speaker said in a press release.

"The end result is a balanced committee that will ensure staff obtains all relevant information on this proposed project, which will in turn serve council and our community very well as council assesses this project."

But while the committee does offer fair representation, there are other concerns with the consultation process, said Tracey Saxby, co-founder of My Sea to Sky, a group opposed to the project.

"I do have some concerns about the way this committee appears to be designed to work from the position that Woodfibre LNG is a done deal, and that they're only trying to mitigate the potential impacts," Saxby said.

The input from the committee will be beneficial to council, but equally important is the opinion of the public as a whole, Saxby said, adding that a plebiscite might not be out of the question.

"Council is meant to represent the community, and the community, by and large, is not supportive of this project," she said.

"There's going to be continuing protests, and more actions to take, to let the public engage with this process."

An open house held June 18 offered residents a chance to learn about the project and voice their concerns.

A 30-day comment submission process has also been started, ending July 11.

The purpose of taking public comment is "to ensure that all potential effects — environmental, economic, social, heritage and health — that might result from the proposed project are identified," said a press release from the provincial Environmental Assessment Office (EAO).

The EAO is currently accepting comments online at www.eao.gov.bc.ca, by mail (Josh Handysides, Project Assessment Manager, Environmental Assessment office, PO Box 9426 Stn Prov Govt, Victoria BC, V8W 9V1) or by fax at 250-387-0230.

The Woodfibre LNG project is currently in the pre-application stage at the EAO.

Minutes from the community committee meetings will be available for public review on the District of Squamish's website.

The commitee members are:

•Ron Anderson, Squamish Terminals

•Sean Carron, Member-at-large

•Joshua Joseph, Squamish Nation Council

•Karine Le Du, Member-at-large

•Rod MacLeod, Distrct of Squamish, Director of Engineering

•Chris Pettingill, Squamish Chamber of Commerce

•Doug Race, District of Squamish Council, ex-officio representative

•Jennifer Reilly, Member-at-large

•Linda Kelly Smith, Squamish Climate Action Network

•Glenn Stainton, Member-at-large

•Sara Van Mulligen, Member-at-large

•Donna Wall, Tourism Squamish

•Richard J. Wildman Jr., Member-at-large