Opposition Intensifies as Environment Minister Heyman Fails to Protect Citizens, Farms, Tourists from Biosolids
Fifteen representatives from business, farming, community and environmental associations, and tourism, plus politicians, sign letter to George Heyman, BC Minister of Environment calling on Heyman to explain why MoE continues to insist on spread of biosolids in Capital Regional District despite all evidence, including MoE’s own internal report, of the persistent toxicity of Class A Biosolids.
Open Letter to Minister of Environment George Heyman Re: Urging
Safer Alternatives for Toxic Biosolids
CC: CRD Chair Colin Plant
MLA Adam Olsen
Signatories
October 14, 2021
Dear Minister Heyman,
Thank you for meeting with us on September 28 to discuss growing concerns regarding the environmental and public health impacts associated with the land application of biosolids. While we're very grateful to have had a moment the Minister's time to review this urgent safety and environmental issue, unfortunately the meeting left our broad coalition of farmers, elected officials, residents, business operators and environmental organizations with a much higher level of concern, and more questions than answers.
We hope that you will understand if we are not comforted by the long-standing OMRR update that has been underway in one form or another since 2006, particularly since OMRR in its current state has not resulted in safe, sustainable practices when it comes to the land application of biosolids in BC.
In 2011, the CRD reviewed and acknowledged evidence-based concerns regarding the land application of biosolids and acted on strong public sentiment by passing a ban on the land application of biosolids in the CRD in 2011. That ban remained in place for a decade, and was very reluctantly rescinded in 2021 following significant pressure by the Minister to proceed with land application as part of the CRD's sewage treatment strategy.
As the situation currently stands, the land application of biosolids as top cover at Hartland landfill is not acceptable to the general public, the CRD Board, the region’s farmers and businesses, and major environmental organizations like the Georgia Strait Alliance and Sierra Club of BC. We are therefore urgently calling on the Province to immediately end this practice, and to satisfy our respective members, we're also requesting detailed responses to the following comments and questions:
In light of the Minister's past support for the ban on land application while Executive Director of the Sierra Club of BC (please see the attached letter to the CRD from 2011 which you signed on behalf of the Sierra Club of BC), could you please explain why the Ministry of the Environment was so insistent that CRD consider land application in both short and long term strategy (please see your attached letter to the CRD dated Oct. 19th 2019), and only promoted that particular option in communication with the CRD, rather than listing a range of options for the region to consider?
There is ample academic evidence highlighting the inevitable environmental harms caused by the land application of biosolids, including undeniable evidence of dispersal by wind, rain, and human and animal traffic. Since Hartland landfill is located in the region's Green Belt and surrounded by homes, many ground and surface water licenses, busy trails, a popular recreational lake and reservoir, local farms and other agriculturally intensive businesses like Butchart Gardens, could you please provide both this group and the CRD Board with evidence supporting that land application of biosolids can be done at Hartland with no risk to the environment or public health?
Given the October 2019 letter from the Province to the CRD stipulates that CRD must undertake public consultation on the land application of biosolids and/or other disposal strategies, and as the Chair of CRD stipulates in his recent letter to the Province, for many years the citizens of the CRD have been strongly opposed to the land application of biosolids, could you please clarify that the CRD is under no obligation to actually proceed with land application, so long as demonstrably safe toxic waste disposal alternatives are found?
In view of the urgency of this situation and the fact that the Lafarge plant has not been in a position to accept any biosolids from the Hartland Residual Treatment Facility for several months already in 2021, could you please provide a list of potential alternative toxic waste storage or disposal strategies for consideration by the CRD Board and other communities that oppose the land application of biosolids and that would be acceptable to the Province, and share what you believe to be the highest/safest/best use for these biosolids if land application is not possible or acceptable to the community?
Additionally, could the Province please provide a copy of the minutes from the meeting on September 28th so the public can be made aware of the Minister and Ministry's stance on this important environmental and public health issue?
Finally, with the goal of ensuring transparency and public awareness in regards to these important environmental and public health issues, please be advised that it is our intention to share this letter with local media, and to do the same with the Province's response.
Thanks and best regards,
We the undersigned
Philippe Lucas PhD
Biosolid Free BC
Mayor John Ranns
Municipality of Metchosin
Capital Regional District Board
Mayor Barb Desjardins
Municipality of Esquimalt
Capital Regional District Board
Director Mike Hicks
Juan de Fuca Electoral Area
Capital Regional District Board
Councillor Zeb King
Municipality of Central Saanich
Director Arzeena Hamir
Electoral Area B
Comox Valley Regional District
Leroy McFarlane
Director, Mid Island Farmers Institute
President, Campbell River Environmental Committee
Jay Shulkin
Association for the Protection of Rural Metchosin
Elaine Klimke
President, Mount Work Coalition
Hannah Askew
Executive Director, Sierra Club of BC
Christianne Wilhelmson
Executive Director, Georgia Strait Alliance
Councillor Nathalie Chambers
Municipality of Saanich
Madrona Farm
Dave Cowen
CEO, Butchart Gardens
Richard Hagensen
Council of Canadians, Campbell River
The Peninsula Biosolids Coalition (PBC)
Friends of Tod Creek Watershed
Mount Work Coalition
Peninsula Streams Society
Saanich Inlet Protection Society
Board Chair, The Butchart Gardens