AS PRESENTLY WORDED, Island United’s application to expand the Cortes Island Quarry should be REJECTED by the Province.? Following is a very brief outline of the reasons for this.

FIRST though, I want to stress that yes, of course we need gravel. We’ve been fortunate to have the quarry on Cortes for so many years, and we will continue to need it into the future.
It makes sense to reduce the load on the ferry, and we want to support local builders.
I have not heard anyone say that we don’t need gravel, or that the quarry should close.

HOWEVER, in my letter to the Ministry of Mining ( deadline May 8 ), I will ask that Island United be required to resubmit their application, with the following issues fully addressed by qualified professionals:
- complete and accurate mapping of surrounding streams and wetlands.
- hydrology studies of both James Creek and Hume Creek watersheds.
- cutthroat trout and salmon presence confirmed by registered professional biologists.
-required protection of water licences / drinking water on Hume Creek.
- plans to control runoff in extraordinary rain events.
- plans to prevent/ contain fuel spills.
- plans to reduce noise pollution ( already impacting some Gorge Harbour residents).
Also needed:
- commitment to zero herbicide/pesticide use.
- clarification on the water for gravel washing - where will it come from, how will it be transported, where will it be disposed of ?
- clarification on plans to export gravel off Cortes- yes or no ?? Right now this is unclear, but the proposal for the huge increase in extraction rate suggests “yes”. If “yes”, then additional environmental questions would arise re barge loading etc ( in the Gorge ?).


This issue is , above all, a question of scale.

Doubling the physical size of the tenure from the current 1.25ha to 2.50ha,( not the 5.16ha proposed ), would be reasonable.
And maintaining the extraction rate at historical levels ( rather than increasing it 6-16 times ) should provide plenty of gravel for our small island community for another 20 years.

The above changes to the application will allow for greater setbacks from the streams, and thereby increase protection for the wetlands, fish, and clean drinking water.

WHY does the proposal aim for such massive increases in quarry size and annual extraction rate ??
If those increases were permitted, there would be major consequences for the rural character of our island.
Those concerns are best communicated in a separate letter, to the Ministry of Forests, ( deadline May 14 ).

This is an opportunity for Island United to do their homework, and learn about this community they have moved into. They can correct the multiple errors and omissions in their application, and reduce its scale to where it would then be acceptable to almost everyone.
They might even host a public meeting next time, to discuss their new application, and answer our questions.

* Please consider attending the public meeting at Manson’s Hall Thursday evening. You should be able to get most of your questions answered there. ALSO, GOVERNMENT MINISTRIES HAVE VERY SPECIFIC CRITERIA REGARDS THEIR ACCEPTANCE OF COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC. THERE WILL BE INFO AVAILABLE AT THE MEETING TO ENSURE THAT OUR LETTERS ARE ACCEPTED.

* NOTE: THERE WILL BE ONLY A 24 HOUR WINDOW AFTER THE MEETING TO GET YOUR FIRST LETTER AWAY TO MINISTRY OF MINES

I don’t see any GOOD reason why we can’t have gravel, clean water, healthy fish, and our quiet, non industrialized rural community all together.

my best to you all,
Cec Robinson.



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