Open Letter to Saanich Mayor Haynes: Protecting 73 Acres of Forest at Hartland Landfill

January 13, 2021

Mayor Fred Haynes
District of Saanich
770 Vernon Avenue
Saanich, BC. V8X 2W7
mayor@saanich.ca

Dear Mayor Haynes,

Protecting 73 Acres at Hartland Landfill

Members of the Mount Work Coalition, a not-for-profit society dedicated to preservation of the Mount Work area for regional residents, have noted with approval your support for the work of the Habitat Acquisition Trust (HAT) in fundraising for the purchase of some 50 acres of land off Mountain Road near Prospect Lake to create a new regional park.

We understand that this property is home to several at risk species and endangered Douglas fir ecosystems, which are rapidly disappearing. The HAT organizer is quoted as saying, "saving pieces (of the mature second growth Douglas fir ecosystem) is incredibly important right now". You are quoted as noting the importance of this forest which is a big part of Saanich's action climate plan to future-proof the region. We are in agreement with you.

Given the importance that you attach to preserving our green spaces for future generations, we hope that you will apply the same logic when it comes to examining the draft Solid Waste Management Plan currently under development by CRD staff. The current plan, which is at present being circulated for public consultation, proposes the destruction of 73 acres of forest almost identical to the Mountain Road property you are working to save in order to expand the footprint of the Hartland Landfill beginning in 2030.

The entire plan is premised on the reduction of per capita waste to only 250 kg per person by 2030, which will then require the expansion of Hartland in order to extend its life beyond its current estimated fill date of 2045 to the year 2100. This expansion, which will result in the removal of Douglas fir and diverse forest cover, putting at risk the 16 endangered species in the Mount Work area, will create more dangerous methane gases and will disturb the enjoyment of the Mount Work area by regional residents, and could be avoided if the Solid Waste Management Plan was redesigned to adopt more aggressive waste reduction measures, along the lines of those proposed by Victoria's zero waste initiative.

The CRD board, of which you are a leading member, acknowledged the possibility of a more environmentally responsible plan (along the lines of the one adopted by the Regional District of Nanaimo) by agreeing to an "aspirational target" of reducing per capita waste to 125 kg per person per year. However, no funding or action plan exists in the current plan to move toward achievement of this important target. It was simply inserted as a placeholder by the Board, with no amendment to the plan developed by staff.

It is important the CRD Board insist that the plan, which has yet to be adopted, be amended to adopt more aggressive waste reduction measures, incentives and targets, using alternative technologies and strategies. The Board must also defer any decision that would allow staff to move ahead with a design concept for Hartland that will result in the destruction of 50% more forest on the slopes of Mount Work than you are seeking to preserve at Mountain Road.

We have the time to adopt measures that will avoid the destruction of 73 acres of forest on the slopes of Mount Work. Your role in ensuring that the SWMP is modified to ensure that this destruction does not become an inevitable result of the staff planning process is critical.

Yours sincerely,

Elaine Klimke

Elaine Klimke Chair, Mount Work Coalition