Reading the latest District of Squamish budget 2023 update and the added line of $500, 000 for policing due to Woodfibre LNG and FortisBC, left me wondering how much more of a burden this community must endure for a project that holds no benefits for the Sea to Sky area or B.C. in general and if $500K will be nearly enough.
Besides the half a million dollars for policing: the Fortis work camp of 600 employees could burden our emergency departments with the social costs due to overdoses, mental health issues, increased sexual assaults and fights; the increased risk we expose young women in this community due to the nature of workcamps, and the lasting effect it will have on them; the loss of forest due to heavy construction in wildlife areas that this community uses; the increased asks by Woodfibre LNG to decrease the environmental rules to make it easier on them, that will seriously impact orcas, herring, sea lions and seals. Nevermind the long-term issues with tankers in Howe Sound and the effect on the marine life the Sound is home to.
That $500,000 could feed a lot of people who are struggling and create more recreational space at Brennan park for our children. Instead, the municipality is being forced to take money away from more important needs.
Who benefits from this project?
So far, the answer seems to be a company in Singapore.
Woodfibre LNG is simply a middleman. We are being forced to bear a burden that we didn’t ask for and have very few chances to impact.
Where are the politicians who say they care about this region, climate change, and about social issues? First Nation women, who spoke out at the latest Woodfibre meeting in Squamish, were shuttered by undercover RCMP, on video. Please think about that!
Delena Angrignon
Squamish
