No objection will be registered by qathet Regional District to the province toward the expansion of a sand, gravel and quarry operation at Stevenson Road, known as Select Sand and Gravel.
At its meeting on Thursday, April 25, the regional district (qRD) board, subject to five conditions, unanimously approved a motion that expressed no objection to a BC Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources Mines Act amendment to add an area of 5.7 hectares north and west of the existing quarry.
Electoral Area B director Mark Gisborne had originally opposed the motion expressing no objection to the expansion when it was introduced at the qRD planning committee, but he spoke in favour of the motion at the regional board meeting.
Gisborne said in an interview that he knew the regional board could not stop the expansion, but he wanted to remind the province that regional district had opposed the quarry operation 10 years ago. That’s what he was trying to get into a motion that was sent to the province, he added.
He said his confusion was that it would only be the motion sent to the province, but regional district staff has indicated it will send the entire staff report, which includes the information that the regional district has opposed the initiative in the past 10 years. In 20 years, when the permit expires, Gisborne said he wants the province to remember the regional district initially opposed the licence, and maybe it will find a better location then.
“It’s on the record and in the file that the district has opposed this location; can you perhaps find a better location?” said Gisborne. “I’m really trying to uphold the past motion of the board and figure out what works best for the community.”
At the board meeting, Gisborne said he is not opposed to the proposed extension to the aggregate pit for three reasons.
The first is that the community needs aggregate. He said if the region wants to have affordable housing and reduce its carbon footprint, there cannot be reliance on barging in thousands of tonnes of rock.
Gisborne said the proposed extension, if conducted in the same manner as the original, should not result in any noticeable difference from what is currently in operation.
His third point was that the operator of the pit, Dan Stephens, is doing an incredible job of running a clean, well-maintained and environmentally conscious pit. Gisborne said Stephens is complying with all ministry requirements, has upgraded to newer fuel-efficient equipment, and has done a great deal of work to be a good neighbour with nearby residents.
Gisborne proposed an amendment to one of the conditions, clarifying that the sound suppression berms be maintained on the eastern side of the pit and be extended to the northeastern point of the proposed new mine permit boundary. The original condition just read that the sound suppression berms be maintained.
Gisborne said the intent of the amendment was to protect the nearby residential neighbourhood from any additional noise.
The amendment carried.
