Bamberton quarry expansions happening a bit at a time, but adding up
I am writing in response to the article on Bamberton in the Oct. 27 issue of the Citizen.
I am writing to voice our concerns over Quarry Application # 080040 and the refusal of Environment Minister Heyman to demand an environmental assessment.
Has the B.C. government and the Ministry of Mines not progressed in their environmental awareness since 1912 when the BC Cement Plant opened at Bamberton?
Looking at the site today one would think the plant was still operating, polluting the air with clouds of dust which coats the trees for kilometres and eventually settles in the streams, on the land and in the water of Saanich Inlet, known for its inability to flush out contamination.
Malahat Investment Corporation received two expansion approvals in 2016 and asked for a third in 2019. Each expansion request was below the 50 per cent that the B.C. Environment Ministry requires for an environmental assessment. What a coincidence! The current permit request is for 15 to 30 years so in that time there could be dozens more expansions just under 50 per cent which would lead to the complete destruction of the Malahat mountainside, all done without any environmental assessment.
Why is the Environment Ministry not concerned how current operations are impacting the environment let alone how the expansion Malahat Investment Corporation is requesting will be handled? This is an environmental injustice and speaks volumes about the B.C. government’s Environment Ministry and the Ministry of Mines.
Until a comprehensive environmental study is completed and is accessible to the public we ask that the current Quarry Application, File #0800407 be denied.
M. Alexander
Mill Bay