From: charles reif <creif@shaw.ca>
Subject: Community Meeting and Concerns
Date: August 10, 2016 at 1:04:03 PM PDT
To: "Jonathan Secter (SPSI-SERC)" <jpsecter@sercbc.com>
Cc: Casey L <clarochelle@tsawout.ca>, Gordon Atkinson
<gordonkatkinson1@me.com>, Johnstone Dian&Tom <thom.johnstone@gmail.com>,
charles reif <creif@shaw.ca>
Dear Mr. Secter,
Thank you for your patience in waiting for this reply. It was important for us to await the return of members of
the Executive who were off island. It has only been this past week that the Directors of both SCC and SIRRA
were able to hold meetings.
We wish to emphasize that the Tsawout/Tseycum First Nation announcement of June 16, being made as
neighbour to neighbour, is most welcome, as is the focus on a sustainable long term management of IR7.
Subsequently, our representative Directors have examined the logging plan and Summary Project Description
dated July 18, and listened carefully to the presentations made to us when your team visited Saturna on July
26th. The addition of the two Band Councillors, Karen Harry and Bruce Underwood, was an unexpected
pleasure and helpful.
At our recent Board meetings it was agreed that we should express to you our concerns about several issues
that your project raises for the Island community. We bring these forward now, believing that by addressing
them more fully in the planning phase, and before a public meeting, there will be more opportunity to resolve
them in a neighbourly manner. These include (in no particular order):
Fire Risk: We understand that debris management is part of every logging plan. Noting that IR7 is bounded
by residential neighbourhoods as well as the National Park Reserve, protection of human life, both firefighters
and civilians, is our first priority. We think the community would be more at ease if we were provided with
the mitigation and monitoring plans for debris management that form part of the logging plan that will be
submitted to INAC.
Road Safety: This is a subject of great concern to the community. In the July 18 Summary Project
Description 9 truckloads per day were planned, over a 3 or 4 month period. Of particular concern are the
narrow steep hill down to Lyall Valley (known on the Island as “the missing link”), the need for residents to
access the four ferries a day to and from East Point, and truck traffic around the school. The community will
want to know the specifics of how you plan to manage and monitor the trucking with local traffic and how you
plan to address any damage to the roads that might be caused by over 800 truckloads. We look forward to
working with your group regarding this issue.
Environmental Assessment and Species At Risk: We note with some concern the lack of reference about your
environmental assessment plans and specifically how you intend to identify species at risk (federally and
provincially listed species). IR7 is part of Coastal Dry Douglas Fir forest and the valley is known to be
habitat for provincially listed and likely federally listed species at risk. As a first step, it would be helpful to
see the resource inventory that we assume has been conducted, and to see what mitigation measures you have
planned to protect listed species, and the valley wetlands and ephemeral streams, where pools were still present
in late July.
Reforestation: Long term forest management was featured in both the June 16 announcement and July 18
Summary Project Description. During our meeting on July 26 some doubt was expressed whether the
described reforestation could be achievable, given the dry conditions and the presence of both deer and feral
goats in the area. It would be helpful to see the silviculturist’s assessment, so that the community is not left
with unrealistic expectations.
The Directors of both SIRRA and the Community Club believe that, since the plan presented to us to date is
incomplete in addressing the issues noted above, that a Community Meeting held before those details are
available would not be as effective as one which could include the desired level of detail. We would also like
to have time to communicate to our memberships what we have learned, and be able to give our community,
both resident and non-resident, greater notice of a public meeting date.
Accordingly, we are requesting that a Community Meeting on Saturna be held in mid-September, rather than
the third week in August. We look forward to the participation of more band representatives at a September
meeting, and would like to host a meal as part of that event.
In closing, we would also like to reinforce our sincere appreciation for the consideration extended to our
community by way of the June 16 general mail-out provided by Tsawout First Nation, and by your
communications to date. We look forward to remaining in communication and to working together
constructively to understand and resolve concerns as they may arise.
Tom Johnstone, Director Charles Reif, President
Saturna Ratepayers & Residents Assoc. Saturna Community Club