Do we need the new quarry:
“Sumas Mountain Quarry / 266531 BC Ltd”?
Abbotsford, British Columbia - Wednesday, December 7, 2011 by: Mario deSantis
The City of Abbotsford and the Fraser Valley Regional District (FVRD) learned about this proposed quarry only when a notice of intent to apply for the tenure of the provincial Crown land was posted, last spring, in a local newspaper. Since then, the city of Abbotsford, the FVRD, Metro Vancouver, local communities, residents and conservationists have voiced their strong opposition to this proposed new quarry encompassing an initial 310 acres on top of the Sumas Mountain.
A look at quarries in the Sumas Mountain. About 73% of gravel mined in the Sumas Mountain is exported to other communities which don't want quarries.
The new quarry would further deteriorate our environment: residential communities, water resources, native species, deforestation, recreational parks.
The new quarry would add some 50 gravel trucks per day to the local traffic.
Stop the proposal of the new quarry!
Relevant references:
- City opposed to questionable quarry in Abbotsford, ABBYNEWS.com, June 16, 2011 http://www.abbynews.com/news/124006259.html
- Communication with Ministry of Forests, Lands & Natural Resource Operations, by Walter Neufeld, June 24, 2011 http://www.abbotsfordtoday.ca/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Sumas-Mountain-Objection-to-Sumas-Quarry-Mine-062411.pdf
- Update Regarding Quarry Proposal in Electoral Area G (Sumas Mountain), City of Abbotsford, Council Report June 17, 2011 https://abbotsford.civicweb.net/Documents/DocumentDisplay.aspx?ID=23461
Quotes:
- “We all have to work. We all have to feed our families, but enough is enough.” Garrith Michael, president of Sumas Mountain, ABBYNEWS.com, July 13, 2011 http://www.abbynews.com/news/125526578.html
- “they’re basically removing our mountain tops…” Walter Neufeld, president of FVRD Citizens Association and resident of Sumas Mountain, ABBYNEWS.com, June 27, 2011 http://www.abbynews.com/news/124621118.html
- “We’ll be 199 per cent against it. They’ve already destroyed the hell right out of the mountain.” Ray Silver, Sto:lo elder and conservationist, ABBYNEWS.com, June 16, 2011 http://www.abbynews.com/news/124006259.html
- “Nobody is asking current quarries to shut down, but this is one too many.” John Vissers, president of the Fraser Valley Conservancy and a Sumas Mountain resident, ABBYNEWS.com, June 17, 2011 http://www.abbynews.com/news/124107479.html
- “A quarry would completely destroy plans to convert Sumas Mountain to more recreational green space.” Patricia Ross, Councillor, City of Abbotsford, ABBYNEWS.com, June 16, 2011