Hundreds of residents took over downtown Squamish on Saturday, Nov. 8 to send a message regarding the proposed Woodfibre liquefied natural gas (LNG) project.
The message, put forth by residents of all ages, was a resounding “no” to the project.
Protestors met in front of Squamish Elementary School to rally, pass out anti-LNG signs and talk about issues facing Squamish. From there, the group marched down Cleveland Avenue and back before eventually reaching Highway 99.
The peaceful protest was the first organized rally of its kind by the My Sea to Sky members since they protested on the opening day of the Sea to Sky Gondola earlier this year.
Event organizer and My Sea to Sky co-founder Melyssa Hudson said it was great to see such a big turnout.
“This all came about over the growing concerns about Squamish becoming a community that is bringing in the fossil fuel industry,” she said.
“It’s important to get out and have a visual opposition. Nobody is saying that a protest is going to stop the project, but it’s more about getting the community aware about who our allies are and what we’re hoping to see in the future for this town.”
Hudson said the Woodfibre project is not worth the potential environmental risks it could pose to the community.
“Bringing the LNG industry here is all risk and no reward,” she said.
“We take on all the risks with pipelines through the estuary and pipelines through our community. There will be 80,000 tons of greenhouse gases into our air shed with this project, and maybe if we’re lucky we’ll get around 100 jobs. It doesn’t make sense to me and a lot of people feel the same way.”
She said the timing of the protest was important with the municipal election occurring this coming Saturday (Nov. 15). Several council candidates participated in the march, but none of the mayoral candidates were present. Hudson said this election should lead to a conversation on where Squamish should go in the future.
“It’s about our infrastructure and what type of industries we want to see here,” she said.
“What type of town do we want to be and what type of values do we want to portray? It doesn’t match up to have a town so appreciative of the environment and the outdoors bring in a fossil fuel industry to pump our atmosphere with greenhouse gas.
“I’d like to see Squamish become a leader in climate justice and take charge of our future. I hope our leaders get the message that Squamish is a changing town.”
Hudson, who moved to Squamish two years ago, wants Squamish to lead the charge away from fossil fuel reliance.
“I want to see our leaders go somewhere else,” she said.
“I want to see public transportation that can take us down to the city and green initiatives for community members to upgrade their homes with green technology. We should also try to bring in clean industry.”
She expressed concerns about the truth about the jobs and tax revenue associated with Woodfibre and said My Sea to Sky will continue to ask questions.
“It’s about the future of this town and our children,” she said.
“We need a vision that is more broad than a project that will produce maybe 60 jobs and might not even last 10 years. We want to bring people together and show them we’re not alone and we’re growing.”
