Not really surprised.....Yet another example of a company trying to do what environmentalists and the general public have been crying for (i.e. hazardous waste recycling) years only to be quashed by environmentalists. This decision does nothing to protect the Fraser River or adjacent tributaries that flow into it as these materials will continue to be dumped in landfills or dumped illegally off the side of a road. If it is not dealt with safely and properly then these materials will continue to make their way into the Fraser, so I sort of find it strange how opponents can actually call this a victory. The fact is that most of this hazardous material is not dealt with properly and is making it’s way into our air and water already. The environment lost today.
I find it humorous that there are critics that say that it was all about the location and not about what the company was trying to do. That's false because their statements in the press say otherwise. Although there were many critics that stated that the proximity of the facility to the Fraser was their sole criticism, there were those within the opposition ranks that went further and basically turned up the fear mongering in order to make the company not welcome to the Chilliwack area, period. These individuals were engaged in spreading fear about Aevitas trucks crashing on Hwy#1 with their contents making their way into the Fraser River, air quality, fire, and earthquakes. These particular critics forgot about the 2 major railways that carry hazardous materials already in close proximity to the Fraser River. I am surprised terrorism wasn’t mentioned. It appeared to be more about an exercise on brainstorming on how many things could go wrong with this facility based on perceptions rather than trying to find solutions. According to critics, there were many other locations for this facility, but to my knowledge only one organization actually went on record and endorsed another location. Critics of the facility apparently know what constitutes as a bad site, but in the same respect do not express any knowledge about what constitutes as a good site. In my opinion, it wasn’t about the location anymore – locals just didn’t want it. Unfortunately, opposition will follow this company if it chooses another location in this province. If another location is found then another reason or more will be brought up to kill the facility.
Similar to other initiatives intended to protect the environment that are killed by environmentalists, we will likely come full circle again where the same environmentalists will complain that government and industry are not doing enough to recycle hazardous waste. In the meantime, some vocal critics of this facility will continue with their hypocritical support of gravel removal further upstream which potentially threatens wild Salmon and Sturgeon – another loss for the environment….at the hands of “environmentalists”.
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Topic: Aevitas Inc Pulls Out . (Read 18616 times)