Ultimately a new Airshed Management Plan would help to restore public confidence that local air quality is a priority
Tomorrow (Wednesday April 24th), the Central Cariboo / City
of Williams Lake Joint Committee whose membership is made up of the entire
Williams Lake City Council and the Cariboo Regional District Directors for
Areas D, E, F, J, K will consider a request of CRD Area ‘D’ Director Steve
Forseth.
This request will be to have the City of Williams Lake, and the Cariboo
Regional District (CRD) Chief Administrative Officers’ report back by June on an
action plan to create a new Air-shed Management Plan.
The plan is to include engagement of local First Nations including the
like Williams Lake and Soda Creek Indian Bands, along with the Tsilhquot’in
National Government. You can view Director Forseth’s memorandum to the
Joint Committee by CLICKING
HERE
Back in 2006, after public consultations, a 10-year Air-shed Management
Plan was created to deal with air quality, and how to improve it with key
actions from various stakeholders; these being local governments, industry and area
residents. The Plan can be viewed by CLICKING
HERE.
“While wildfire smoke is well known to have
far-reaching health impacts, the Cariboo Regional District, and the City of
Williams Lake are the only local government in the province looking at this
matter through its airshed management plan” ~~ Steve Forseth, CRD Director for
area D
Meanwhile the Cariboo, Chilcotin, and Williams Lake areas have suffered
two back to back bad air quality summers’, due to wildfires in BC. In addition, there has been contentious
public discussions around Atlantic Power’s burning of rail ties, which now has
received approval of the provincial statutory decision maker and approval by
the Environmental Appeal Board.
On top of that, there is the current discussion about Pinnacle Pellet’s
air permit amendment application, which is undergoing a public review period
right now ... and whether or not these two industrial applications are good or
bad for the air-shed
Should CRD Director Forseth’s request be approved, and ultimately a new Air-shed Management Plan be put into place, it would help to restore public
confidence that local air quality is a priority for the Cariboo Regional
District and the City of Williams Lake.
This will include protecting those with asthma or other breathing
challenges, due to wildfire smoke or industrial applications which may impact
negatively the local air-shed.
While
wildfire smoke is well known to have far-reaching health impacts, the
Cariboo
Regional District, and the City of Williams Lake are the only local government
in the province looking at this matter through its air-shed management plan.
City of Williams Lake |
The CRD Board has already written to BC’s Environment
Minister, George Heyman, for funding of an Air-shed Management Plan, however
there could also be and opportunity to use CRD Community Works Funds to help
develop the sub-regional Air-shed Management Plan.
Additionally, an application could be made to
the BC Real Estate Foundation. The deadline to apply to the Foundation is September 5th, 2019
ABOUT STEVE FORSETH
Born
in Williams Lake, Cariboo Regional District Area D director Steve Forseth was
re-elected to a second term following last October’s local government
election.
The
39-year-old ran for the first time in 2014, winning a three-way race, and was
previously an alternate for a year. and a half before that. “I
actually like the work I get to do,” he said. “I am really enthusiastic about
local government and about politics.”
Steve
is the nephew of former Williams Lake resident Alan Forseth, who is also active
in politics, and blogs on the subject.
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