Protesting Shawnigan residents show no signs of giving up or backing down over the BC Liberal government’s approval allowing South Island Aggregates (SIA) to dump 5 million tonnes of contaminated soils on their Stebbings Read more…
Continue readingTag: Shawnigan Lake
Cowichan Conversations: Judith Lavoie on the Shawnigan Contaminated Soil Battle
This article was originally carried in Victoria’s Focus Online. It covers the issue well but misses the crucial matter of the CVRD Shawnigan land use bylaws that prohibit treating and processing materials from off site. Read more…
Continue readingCowichan Conversations: CVRD Off To The Supreme Court To Assert Land Use Jurisdiction and Authority Over SIA Contaminated Soil Processing and Treatment
Richard Hughes- Political Blogger The CVRD has finally resurrected their stalled BC Supreme Court action attempting to have the CVRD Shawnigan bylaws regulating land use recognized, respected and adhered to. While this is a Read more…
Continue readingCowichan Conversations: Shawnigan’s Challenges Demand Reform At The CVRD
Richard Hughes- Political Blogger Sonia Furstenau was elected as Shawnigan’s CVRD Director last November. She inherited a horror show left by the former Doctor Director Bruce Fraser. When news of South Island Aggregates (SIA) Read more…
Continue readingCowichan Conversations: Director Furstenau faces the threat of 5 million tonnes of contaminated soil being dumped in the Shawnigan Watershed
Richard Hughes-Political Blogger Sonia Furstenau was elected as Director, November 2014 to represent the Shawnigan community at the CVRD Board Table. She was immediately immersed in the struggle to stop the importation of 5 Read more…
Continue readingCowichan Conversations: SRA to Lead Peaceful Rally at Victoria Legislature Today-May 13th-11:00AM –1:00PM
SRA to Lead Peaceful Rally to Present Petition & Oppose Environmental Appeal Board Decision to Uphold Permit for Contaminated Soil Dump Where: Grounds of the Victoria Legislature When: Wednesday, May 13, 2015, 11:00am-1:00pm By: Read more…
Continue readingCowichan Conversations: NDP MLA Bill Routley Presses Minister To Test Leachate To Determine Impacts To Shawnigan Residents Drinking Water
BC Government issued a ‘Stop Work’ order instructing SIA to supply full reports on their activities. This is to be reviewed this Friday by MOE. Cowichan NDP MLA Bill Routley has been Read more…
Continue readingCowichan Conversations: Liberals Squirming Over ‘Jiggery Pokery’ Taunts From NDP’s Brother Bill Routley
Richard Hughes-Political Blogger BC Lib’s urbane quick wit , the sharp tongued Mike DeJong, is doing a not so slow burn over constantly being harpooned by Cowichan NDP MLA ‘Brother Bill Routley’ for their sleazy tactics and heartless governance. Well actually Routley admitted that one of their MLA’s might have a heart. Probably.
Continue readingCowichan Conversations: Shawnigan’s Sonia Furstenau Has Thrown Her Hat Into The CVRD Ring!
Sonia Furstenau has declared for Shawnigan As we await the Environmental Appeal Board’s verdict on whether to uphold South Island Aggregate’s permit to put five million tonnes of contaminated soil in our watershed, we need to be clear and direct with the BC government: No matter what the EAB decides,
Continue readingCowichan Conversations: Toxic Algae Bloom Leaves 500,000 Without Drinking Water in Ohio
Richard Hughes-Political Blogger Water shortages are a serious concern in the Cowichan Valley with record low levels in the Cowichan River threatening salmon survival. Water use regulations restricting use have been kicked into place throughout the valley as we pray for rain. Yes, it is a challenge and one that
Continue readingCowichan Conversations: Longstanding Dispute Leads To Public Rally In Support Of Discovery School Teachers -Wednesday-March 26th 4PM
Richard Hughes-Political Blogger- I received this notice and letter this morning and am posting it to draw attention to an ongoing issue that hopefully will be resolved soon. Reference is made to the ‘School Board’ and it should be pointed out that there is no ‘School Board’ in Cowichan. The
Continue readingCowichan Conversations: Council of Canadians Seek to Protect Shawnigan Watershed From Toxic Dumps
The Cowichan Valley Regional District (CVRD) has been appearing before the BC Environmental Board in Victoria looking for relief from the entity that might provide their best chance of overturning South Island Aggregates (SIA) permit to dump 5 million tonnes of contaminated soil in the Shawnigan Watershed. Yesterday, the Council
Continue readingCowichan Conversations: Cowichan Citizen Poll on Contaminated Site Approval Falls Short!
Richard Hughes-Political Blogger Dear Editor, I was taken aback seeing the simplistic and cavalier manner in which your structured your latest poll. The issue is far more complex than the cost or advisability of a potential lawsuit. Shawnigan residents face the threat of 5 million tonnes of toxic and contaminated soils
Continue readingCowichan Conversations: MLA Bill Routley Calls On Minister Mary Polak To Protect Shawnigan From Contaminated Soils
Richard Hughes-Political Blogger Yes, it is still the ‘Dog days of Summer’ and Cowichan MLA Bill Routley is up on his feet again. This time he is questioning Minister of Environment Mary Polak about the unconscionable notion of allowing the BC Liberal government issued ‘Draft Permit’ to be converted into
Continue readingCowichan Conversations: Robert Baden Powell Has Advice For Shawnigan Residents
Dave Hutchinson of the ‘Shawnigan Focus’ sent this gem along Yesterday, a friend mentioned Robert Baden-Powell, the man who founded the Scouting Movement in the early 1900s. We were discussing community diversity and wondering what motivates people to act during times of crisis. She reminded me of the core values
Continue readingCowichan Conversations: BC Liberals Put The Shawnigan Lake Watershed Under Threat!
Richard ‘Hub’ Hughes- Political Blogger The threat to the Shawnigan Watershed, Creek, Lake and Drinking Water has been before the South Cowichan Community for over a year. Local government efforts collaborating with Environment Minister Terry Lake have proven to be a cruel and ineffective diversion that saw the CVRD
Continue readingCowichan Conversations: Bill Routley Challenges Environment Minister To Protect Shawnigan Watershed
Richard ‘Hub’ Hughes- Political Blogger The CVRD Regional District and Shawnigan Director Bruce Fraser have been blissfully sleepwalking through an application from South Island Aggregates (SIA) to dump up to 5 Million tons of contaminated and toxic soils onto their Stebbings Road property in the Shawnigan Watershed. The application
Continue readingCowichan Conversations: Why Has The CVRD Failed To Protect the Shawnigan Watershed?
Richard Hughes-Political Blogger Make no mistake folks the CVRD movers and shakers have been absent in voice and action regarding the threat facing Shawnigan residents over the application to dump 5 million tons of contaminated waste on South Island Aggregates property in the Shawnigan Watershed. Yes I know they went
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