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SAVING GEORGIA STRAIT 

the quarterly newsletter of the Save Georgia Strait Alliance 
February 1995 (Volume 3  Number 1)

-----SAVE GEORGIA STRAIT ALLIANCE------
Main office: #201-195 Commercial St. Nanaimo BC  V9R 5G5
Ph: 604-753-3459 Fax: 604-753-2567 E-mail: sgsa@epaus.island.net
Vancouver office: 1726 Commercial Dr. Vancouver BC  V5N 4A3  
Ph: 604-251-4953 Fax: 604-253-0114  E-mail: sgsa@alternatives.com
Comox Valley office: 463-5th St. Courtenay BC V9N 1K5
Ph: 604-338-0238 Fax 604-338-8630

The Save Georgia Strait Alliance (SGSA) is a charitable, non-profit
society formed in 1990 to protect, preserve and restore the ecology
of Georgia Strait and its adjoining waters. Activities include
public education, advocacy, special events such as conferences and
the annual Save the Strait Marathon, networking and resource-sharing.
Membership  includes about 60 organizations and hundreds of
individuals from around the Georgia Strait region.
-----------------------------------------------------
Thanks to this issue's contributors: Jessica Alford, Alice Antonelli, 
Adriane Billyard, Delores Broten, Joop Burgerjon, Miranda Holmes,
Martin Keeley, David Lane, Valerie Langer, Stephane Morin, Kim Rink,
Mike Sato, Eleanor Taylor, Sue Wheeler.
Photos: Glen Henschke, Jonathan Churcher
Editor: Laurie MacBride
Distribution: Cathy Booler
Next issue: May 15, 1995
Deadline for submissions: May 1

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AGM SET FOR APRIL 1

SGSA's Annual General Meeting will be held on Saturday, April 1 at
St. Paul's Anglican Church Hall (100 Chapel St. in downtown Nanaimo).
The agenda includes annual reports and financial statements, election
of Directors, and a special resolution to change SGSA's name (see
article below). We hope to see many SGSA members: both individuals
and group representatives, old members and new. Non-members are
welcome, although unless they take out a membership at the meeting
they won't have a vote. If you would like to stand for, or nominate
someone for the Board, please contact Frank Cox at 604-299-9532.

The hall will be open by noon for registration and set up of
displays. (Contact our Nanaimo office if you'd like space.) The
business meeting will get underway by 1:30 and end by 4:30 pm. This
will be followed by a delicious catered dinner and evening program
which will be open to the public. If you require billeting please
let us know ahead of time.

Anyone with a lively presentation or contribution to the evening
program should contact Cathy Booler at our Nanaimo office ahead of
time. Among other visual treats, the evening will include a premiere
showing of Jonathan Churcher's new estuaries video. The AGM is a
great time to network, meet old friends, and share ideas. Hope to
see you there!
--------------------------------------------------------
NEW DATES FOR MARATHON

It may be six months away, but it's time to mark your calendar and 
start planning for this year's Save the Strait Marathon! 

This year's annual celebration will be held August 11 - 13 (a change
from our usual date). Repeating last year's success, it will again
take place at Rathtrevor Provincial Park in Parksville and will
 include group camping, great food, interpretive events, intertidal
studies, two marathon routes to choose from for your swim/paddle/row/sail,
and the annual Celebrate the Strait Dance. The event is open to
both experienced and novice outdoor enthusiasts and their families.

Remember that besides providing a fun opportunity to get out on
the waters of Georgia Strait, the Marathon is a great way to
fundraise for your own non-profit group, as a significant portion
of the pledges raised goes to Marathoners' sponsoring groups.
Brochures and information will be ready soon. Contact Marathon
coordinator Eleanor Taylor at 604-753-3459.
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CONFERENCE SPURS COMMUNITY ACTION

SGSA's October conference, "Sound & Strait Community Action: Our
Common Water, Our Common Ground" was a great success, bringing
about 200 people together to catch up on the state of the region's
marine environment, measure progress since our first conference in
'91, examine the challenges and share action ideas in order to
develop community-based strategies. Participants included a diverse
group of community activists, government officials, labour and
business, scientists, aboriginal people and - to the delight of
all - about 20 youth delegates. The event was televised live by
Nanaimo's Shaw Cable and re-broadcast in several other communities.

Included were keynote speakers, panel presentations of successful
case studies, facilitated group sessions, music, dance, artwork
from Vancouver Island schools and a film festival of SGSA's new
productions. From the huge volume of notes generated over the
weekend, the hard-working panel (Arnie Thomlinson, Wayne Bradley,
Bill Rees, Adrienne Peacock, Jim Manly and Judith Plant) identified
seven key action areas: improving environmental education, overcoming
governmental and institutional inertia, creating community empowerment,
restoring and maintaining ecosystem integrity, reducing military
activities in the Strait, and first nations issues. A list of
strategies in each of these areas was developed, along with a set
of "indicators" to measure future progress. These notes are available
from our Nanaimo office. A huge thank you to everyone who helped
make the conference a success, and especially to coordinator Barb
Kerfoot and assistants Sarah Schmidt and Jo Zlotnik.

EXAMPLES OF COMMUNITY ACTION
Following on their participation in SGSA's conference last October,
Ladysmith high school students David Wall and Sarah Rafuse took
action on behalf of their school's environment club and approached
the town's Mayor for answers regarding water quality in Ladysmith
harbor. They learned that while the harbor is considered safe for
swimming, it's definitely not safe for shellfish harvesting at this
 time, and that an upgrade to secondary sewage treatment is likely
ten to fifteen years away. As for the estimated $7.6 million needed
to move to secondary treatment, they were told that the waterfront
was being sold to developers to finance the upgrading and that
Ladysmith would receive much more out of the development than just
sewers - ie. two hotels, two new marinas, a waterslides complex
made to look like historic coal shoots and even some green space
are in the plan presented by Sea Vision. David and Sarah's response:
"Ladysmith needs more waterfront park, not a theme park, and a
decent sewage system that doesn't spill into the harbor even in
the winter months!"
--------------------
Mention Yacht Clubs and what comes to mind? Blue blazers, flag
etiquette, men in white flannels? As a result of a lunch time caucus
at SGSA's October conference, close to 30 sailors, commercial
fishers, boat-builders and environmental activists gathered in
Nanaimo in December to set up a different kind of yacht club. What
they share is a commitment towards a non-militarized Georgia Strait,
especially area "Whiskey Golf" off Nanoose Bay, which is off-limits
to Canadian and other civilians because it is used by US to test
naval weapons. This new group, the Whiskey Golf Yacht Club, plans
to have fun at sail-ins, picnics, and on-the-water events that
demonstrate the peaceful uses of Nanoose Bay and Georgia Strait.
To get involved (you don't need a boat to be a member) contact Bob
Newall at 604-468-5458.

-------------------------------
SGSA has begun work on an inventory and description of initiatives
underway at the community level that relate to the work of the
BC/Washington Environmental Cooperation Council and the Georgia
Basin Initiative. In particular, we'll be looking at community-based
initiatives that support the recommendations of the Council's Marine
Science Panel, ie.: to minimize estuarine habitat loss, establish
marine protected areas, and protect marine plants and animals.

We hope to identify a broad range of activities around the Strait
that involve NGO's, local governments, first nations, unions, the
private sector and/or provincial or federal agencies. As well,
we'll look at what makes some initiatives successful, how they can
serve as models for other areas, and how government can help foster
community initiatives. The project is funded by the Ministry of
Environment, Lands and Parks and the Ministry of Municipal Affairs.

Barb Kerfoot and David Walker have begun the research and are aiming
to complete the first phase (the inventory) by March 31. Please
call or fax our Nanaimo office if your group is involved in a
community-based initiative that should be included.
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COMINGS AND GOINGS
A special welcome to Wayne Bradley of Courtenay, and Adrienne
Peacock of Vancouver, appointed to fill vacancies on SGSA's Board
of Directors. They'll serve until our AGM (April 1), at which time
Directors will either step down or stand for re-election.

Our sincere thanks to Ernie Yacub and Gillian Saxby, who served as 
Directors until stepping down last fall. 

Thanks also to Andrea Clark, who served briefly but effectively as
SGSA's Outreach Coordinator for Victoria. She'll be leaving in
April for a CUSO position in Vanuatu.
--------------------------------------------------------
NEW NAME RECOMMENDED

Members will vote on a special resolution at the AGM on April 1.
SGSA's Board of Directors is recommending that the name of the
organization be changed to "Georgia Strait Alliance". The recommendation
was made to last year's AGM but failed to receive the 75% majority
vote required for constitutional changes. However, the Board feels
strongly enough in favour of the change that they are urging members
to look at the question again.

Why a name change?
- Dropping the first word puts more emphasis on "Alliance".  Rather
than simply a group of individuals trying to "save the Strait",
the new name makes it clear that we are also an alliance of groups
working together with a common focus.
- The campaign needs a proactive, rather than reactive name, as it
has gone beyond just "saving" the Strait from a list of urgent
pollution threats. Our long-term goals outline a broader mandate:
promoting ecological sustainability, fostering stewardship and
informed public participation in decision-making, and restoring
damaged ecosystems. This mandate is reflected in activities such
as quadrat studies, transboundary work and participation in a host
of consultative forums on issues including growth management,
biosphere reserves, alternative treatment systems and transportation.
- The new name can have a wider appeal, as it is less likely to
paint the picture of an organization made up exclusively of
environmentalists. In fact the Alliance already includes other
sectors: sports and commercial fishers, shellfish growers, unions
and labour councils, community groups and businesses. But we want
to see this diversity expand, and believe that "Georgia Strait
Alliance" can appeal to additional sectors who currently are not
involved but should be - ie. those with a natural affinity for the
Strait such as yacht clubs and outdoor enthusiasts.
- Simplicity.  "Save Georgia Strait Alliance" is a mouthful at the
best of times. (You wouldn't believe the number of times staff is
asked over the phone, "St. George's what?")
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SGSA IN THE COMOX VALLEY

Since hiring Stephane Morin as our Comox Valley Outreach Coordinator
last fall, SGSA is now well established in the Valley. Display
tables at malls, school presentations, participation at community
events and presentations to community groups have increased SGSA's
exposure and contributed to a rise in organizational and personal
membership. The Valley's membership doubled in the first three
months!

SGSA's involvement in the Valley's environmental issues is also
blooming. The formation of the Baynes Sound Round Table in response
to shellfish harvesting closures has brought together government
agencies, community groups, environmental organizations and the
shellfish industry in an effort to protect the Sound's marine
environment and upland watersheds. SGSA has been an important player
in this effort. Partnership efforts between Project Watershed
Society - a local stewardship group - and SGSA have resulted in
Stephane coordinating a "Sound Stewardship Forum:" on February11,
which will serve as a launching pad for community stewardship of
Baynes Sound.

SGSA and Citizens Action for Recycling and the Environment (CARE)
are co-sponsoring educational workshops on conventional and
alternative waste water treatment systems. This educational effort
aims to raise awareness of the pollution problem in Baynes Sound
and encourage proactive protection initiatives. SGSA now serves as
an information center on waste water treatment alternatives, and
has store-front office space at the Environmental Resources Centre
in downtown Courtenay.

We are also working on other stewardship opportunities in collaboration
with Project Watershed, North Island College, CARE, various government
agencies, local community groups and the shellfish industry. This
is a very exciting time in the Sound when partnership and cooperation
move us all to environmental action! Planned for the near future:
a school presentation on local waste water treatment issues and
alternatives, a Comox Valley SGSA membership meeting and more. For
information contact Stephane Morin at 604-338-0238.
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SGSA HOSTS YOUTH PROGRAM

Tracy Housman, from Spruceview, Alberta, and Katalin Zumpf, from
Veszprem, Hungary have been working three days/week at SGSA's
Nanaimo office since December. They are here as part of the Canadian
phase of the Canada World Youth educational exchange program that
has brought young Hungarians and Canadians together to live and
work in four Vancouver Island communities. The program is designed
for participants to develop an understanding of the concept of
sustainable development, and each Canadian is paired with a Hungarian,
so that they can help each other understand language and culture
in both the home and workplace.

Katalin and Tracey have been game to tackle just about anything.
Katalin very quickly learned to use SGSA's database and, after a
couple of typing lessons from Tracey, is enjoying a new skill at
which she excels. SGSA's slides and photographs have now been
catalogued and our periodicals have been organized. Adriane Billyard,
SGSA's Youth Outreach Worker, has been instrumental in helping the
pair feel at home at SGSA.  She inspired and helped them to give
an educational presentation to the 14 other young people in their
group about local marine life which included a trip to Sealand,
SGSA's slide show, and "Tracey & Katalin's Beach Walk Guide", which
they developed especially for their group. They'll be with us until
the end of February, after which they'll go to Hungary for the next
phase of the program.
--------------------------------------------------------
SGSA KEEPS INTERN BUSY

SGSA has been lucky enough to have an enthusiastic and energetic
intern at our Nanaimo office since October. Adriane Billyard,
employed on a six-month "E-Team" grant, has been employed as SGSA's
youth outreach worker to make presentations to community and school
groups, recruit youth involvement and make recommendations to SGSA's
Board on future youth programs. Over the past few months she has
spoken in a number of school classes on sewage treatment and other
environmental issues, assisted with the Canada World Youth program,
worked on a local youth council to help shape a "One-stop Youth
Shop" in Nanaimo, conducted interviews, assisted at a youth leadership
conference and explored the networking possibilities of the Internet.
It's been a delight to have Adriane's involvement and perspective.

Adriane is organizing a beach clean-up for Sunday, March 19 at 1
pm at Departure Bay Beach in Nanaimo. If you can spare a few hours,
join us for the clean-up and social gathering to follow. Call
Adriane at our Nanaimo office (604-753-3459) for details.
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VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

SGSA needs volunteers for our casino in Nanaimo (March 8 & 9), AGM
(April 1), and tag days in Parksville (April 8) and Nanaimo (May
13). Call Cathy at our Nanaimo office (604-753-3459) if you can
help.
--------------------------------------------------------

 ALLIANCE NEWS - Updates from Member Groups

_Arrowsmith Ecological Association_ began in 1978 as the brainchild
of people in the Parksville-Qualicum area who wanted to protect
groundwater from herbicide contamination along the CPR Right of
Way. Working with residents, municipal and regional officials, AEA
has helped to effect change in CPR's policy, and to bring about
reduction or greater care in use of herbicides by Hydro and Forestry.
AEA currently provides representation on two local Residents'
Associations, as well as Mount Arrowsmith Biosphere Reserve Proposal,
RDN's Challenge and Change, and Solid and Liquid Waste Advisory
Committees. Our members are actively promoting a wide range of
measures to maintain healthy ecosystems in the face of rapid
development in our area. Some of these are conservation measures
for water and greenspace: eg, eco-inventory, effective riparian
zones, Solar Aquatics, eco-forestry etc. We whole-heartedly support
and work toward a much needed Environmental Resource Centre in the
region. Contact: Alice Antonelli, 604-248-3752.
****
_Friends of Boundary Bay_ has been active on a number of fronts.
During the past four months the Travelling Estuary/Wetlands Roadshow
has visited Comox, Courtenay, Parksville, Qualicum Beach, Cumberland,
Union Bay, Squamish, Chilliwack, Fort Langley, Surrey and Delta,
and over the next few months will go to northern BC, Squamish,
Vancouver Island and the eastern Fraser Valley. FOBB conducted
workshops at teachers' conferences in Vancouver and Seattle, and
is planning a hands-on Environmental Education Fair for BC teachers
and environmental organizations on November 4 in Vancouver. This
workshop will enable those interested in environmental education
to work towards the August, 1997 North American Association of
Environmental Educators Conference which
 will be held at UBC, expected to attract about 2,000 delegates
 from across the continent. FOBB education co-ordinator Adele
Stapleton is also producing a supplement to the Boundary Bay
Teachers' Resource Guide.

On the land-use front, FOBB and Fraser for Life Society are addressing
several regional issues including Tilbury Cement's plan to burn
hazardous wastes in its cement kiln operation on the Fraser Delta;
plans for the South Fraser Perimeter Road which will cut through
and destroy most of the remaining wetlands between the south arm
of the Fraser River and the US border (including Burns Bog, Boundary
Bay and the Serpentine River Valley); the Tstasu Shores condo/marina
development joint venture between the Tsawwassen First Nation and
the Hong Kong Bank; and the Lily Point golf course/condo/hotel
development in Point Roberts. Contact Martin Keeley: 604-940-9810.
****
In February _Friends Of Cortes Island_ will sponsor an evening with
the SGSA video, WaterWise, and talk by Kim Rink of Solar Aquatic
Systems, in a search for a solution to boat and island septic
problems. In March Peter McAllister will update the community on
his mainland coast explorations.

FOCI is engaged in a bureaucratic struggle to get Carrington Bay and 
Lagoon recognized as a protected area. (Although Carrington was declared a Park by the Regional Board in 1991, BC's Regional Prote
cted Area Team omitted it as such.)

Cortes' emphasis on forestry mapping continues as does a new attempt
to develop baseline data on groundwater quality, starting with
preliminary testing of undisturbed streams. Meanwhile, SGSA members
 will be glad to know the new independent Oracle School will begin
 a program of intertidal quadrat monitoring starting this spring.
Script-writing will start in February for a video about Wild Salmon,
to be produced by the same team who made Turning the Toxic Tide.
FOCI has undertaken the fund-raising for that video. Contact:
Delores Broten, 604-935-6992.
****
_Friends of Clayoquot Sound_'s international campaign is picking
up momentum and the group is working towards an action/reunion of
Clayoquot Sound activists on April 13th, the second anniversary of
the Clayoquot Land Use Decision. The BC government has charged
MacMillan Bloedel for salmon stream destruction in Winter Creek,
yet at the same time is carrying out a $47 million international
pro-industry campaign. The Clayoquot Scientific Panel's report is
due for release in February and FOCS hopes it will knock the lid
off the PR campaign. The Nuu-Chah-Nulth's Interim Agreement board
is beginning to look at cutting permits but in the meantime the
government has permitted 85 clearcuts totalling over 1000 hectares
in Clayoquot Sound. FOCS sees little evidence of alternative
harvesting or tough enforcement, and its Forest Watch Project
recently caught MB on salmon stream misclassification and Interfor
on salmon stream degradation from road building. FOCS
 reports that things "are still hot and interesting here". Contact:
Valerie Langer, 604-725-4218.
****
In 1996 the Agreement which allows the US Navy to test their
anti-submarine technology at Nanoose Bay comes up for either renewal
or cancellation. The _Nanoose Conversion Campaign_ is working to
pressure the Liberal government into cancelling this agreement
before 1996. NCC will be holding public meetings, spreading the
word through the media, organizing letter-writing campaigns and
holding protest actions throughout 1995, the "Countdown Year". Many
individuals, groups and government officials support converting
CFMETR to peaceful uses and ending the transit of foreign nuclear
submarines through Georgia Strait, but many more voices will need
to be heard if cancellation is to be realized. Watch for the public
meeting in your community, or call NCC for details of meetings and
actions planned over the next few months. Contact: Jessica Alford,
604-741-1662.
****
_People For Puget Sound_, Washington state's three-year old citizens'
group, is working to actively involve more of its19,000-plus members
in protecting and restoring the Sound and straits. Citing shifting
political winds at the national and state levels, the group says
that now's the time for people to get their hands dirty and to make
their voices heard. High on the agenda is organizing support for
a Northwest Straits Marine Sanctuary to protect the waters of the
straits of Juan de Fuca, Haro and Rosario. Such a sanctuary fits
into a coalition strategy to leverage the BC and 'S governments to
establish a transboundary biosphere reserve in the future. P4PS
will also be stepping up pressure to reduce and eliminate toxic
chemicals in sewage and industrial discharges and to protect and
restore fish habitats, working to keep people's focus on healthy
fish, healthy shellfish, healthy wildlife, and healthy communities.
Contact: Mike Sato, 206-382-7007 or by e-mail at wk01931@worldlink.com.
****
The _Sargeant Bay Society_ formed in 1978 in response to a plan to
build a marina in the wetland behind the beach, and successfully
fought several applications for rezoning to allow a marina,
condominiums and high density housing. Its work was rewarded in
1989, when the 57-ha property became a Class A Provincial Park.
Because the wetland had been partially destroyed, the society
undertook a rehabilitation project in 1991 with funding from
Environmental Partners Fund, Habitat Conservation Fund, Salmonid
Enhancement Program and Imperial Oil. Colvin Creek was restored to
its old course, a small lake was created in the damaged area and
a fishladder was installed to allow salmon to reach the creek via
the lake. The wetland now features a large variety of plants, birds,
beavers and fish. immediately after completion of the project wild
Chum and Coho returned to the creek to spawn and have now done so
four times. Each summer the society organizes guided tours on birds,
plants and marine life. Its present project is the construction of
a 3-km trail along Colvin Creek and to Triangle Lake in the Sargeant
Bay watershed. Contact: Joop Burgerjon at PO Box 1486, Sechelt, BC
V0N 3A0.
****
The _T. Buck Suzuki Environmental Foundation_ will be focusing this
spring on several key issues: pressuring the federal government to
fully protect salmon in the Nechako watershed; fighting the erosion
of streams and creeks from damage from new housing developments,
roads, bridges and highways; and lobbying for much wider salmon
protection zones around streams impacted by logging.  The Foundation
is also doing hands-on habitat clean up work on several marshes in
the Fraser River estuary, and is about to launch a SalmonWatch
newsletter focussing on salmon habitat protection. Contact: Mae
Burrows or David Lane, 604-255-8819.

CASTING JUNK INTO THE SEA

The Artificial Reef Society of BC has announced its plans to sink
at least three more derelict navy ships in Georgia Strait, in order
to form a "Truk Lagoon of cold-water diving". Taxpayers are financing
$538,000 of the first sinking project through Western Economic
Diversification Fund, BC 21 and Canada Employment grants to purchase
and salvage of the HMCS Mackenzie (sister ship of the Chaudire,
sunk in Sechelt Inlet in December, 1992), to sink off Rum Island,
near Sidney. Rumours have hit the press of further sinkings off
Nanaimo, Powell River and Campbell River.

SGSA, along with Coastwatch, fought the sinking of the Chaudire
and called repeatedly for a federal environmental assessment review
and public hearings - which were never granted. While Environment
Canada and the ARS state that monitoring shows no negative impacts
(citing "only trace amounts" of oil, grease, asbestos, fibres and
trace metals), it's hard to take this claim seriously when there
was never any baseline study done prior to the sinking. What kind
of sloppy science is this?

Three days before the sinking of the Chaudiere, internationally-renowned
marine salvage expert Alfonso Sotres surveyed the ship and delivered
a damning report and photographs to SGSA. Sotres reported
 greasy decks, oily bilge water, debris, scrap metals, large amounts
of asbestos, fibreglass insulation and jagged edges dangerous to
divers, and concluded that "the scuttling of the HMCS Chaudiere
should not take place". Despite receiving the report, Environment
Canada allowed the sinking to proceed.

We hope that this time, the public will not settle for anything
less than a full-scale environmental assessment that includes public
hearings. Beyond this, it's appropriate to be asking why, in an
age of increasing global consciousness of the need for ecologically-
sustainable approaches, we should be throwing huge chunks of steel,
aluminum and other recyclable "waste" into the ocean.
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JEDEDIAH: CLOSE TO THE GOAL

It was a Christmas wish come true for the Friends of Jedediah, who
have been working since August for the protection of Jedediah
Island. On December 22 environment minister Moe Sihota announced
that BC will contribute $2.6 million towards the purchase of Jedediah
Island for a provincial park. The government is acting quickly to
buy Jedediah because of the tremendous public response in the last
few months (letters and phone calls made the difference!) and
because several groups have offered to contribute part of the
purchase price.

Located near Lasqueti Island, Jedediah is the largest (243 hectares)
and most diverse of a group of over 30 islands which will form a
"string-of-pearls" park.  Jedediah will be a significant addition
to B.C.'s protected areas, with old-growth forests of Douglas-fir
and arbutus, a large level meadow and sheltered bays with white
sand beaches.

In addition to the government's commitment of $2.6 million, $1.1
million has been promised by the estate of Dan Culver, an
environmentalist who wished his estate to be used to preserve
wilderness are as. The BC Marine Parks Forever Society has contributed
$60,000, and donations raised by the Friends of Jedediah are now
around $20,000. That leaves an additional $420,000 (10% of the
total) that must be raised by March 1995 to complete the purchase.
Public donations are essential for the purchase.

The Friends of Jedediah have taken on an ambitious challenge to
raise $250,000. They are asking everyone who supports conservation
in Georgia Strait to donate. Donations are tax-deductible; they
should be made payable to the Minister of Finance and sent to:
Jedediah Island Purchase Trust Fund, c/o B.C. Parks, 2nd floor,
800 Johnson Street, Victoria, B.C. V8V 1X4. For more information,
contact the Friends of Jedediah (Sue Wheeler, 604-333-8785, or Doug
Hopwood 604-333-8876) or BC Parks (604-953-3156).
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KEMANO VICTORY WELCOMED

Environmentalists and fishers celebrated a hard-won victory this
month as the BC government announced it would kill Alcan's Kemano
Completion Project. Groups have been fighting the proposed project
for more than a decade saying it would threaten fish.

The project would have diverted most of the remainder of the Nechako
River (a key tributary of the Fraser) for hydroelectric power,
reducing the river to about 12 percent of its original flow. At
stake is a small run of chinook salmon bordering on extinction and
a major run of millions of sockeye salmon that use the Nechako en
route to their spawning grounds.

Retired federal fisheries scientists warned that taking more water
out of the system would harm chinook salmon habitat and leave eggs
high and dry in winter. Less water would allow the sun to warm the
river to temperatures deadly to the millions of sockeye that travel
to the northern rivers. Sockeye survive best at 15 degreesC, yet
the project would have produced temperatures as high as 21.7
degreesC.

The only independent public review of Kemano, done by the BC
Utilities Commission, stated that salmon would be greatly threatened
if the project were to proceed. Their final report called for more
water to be released into the river, a special cold water release
built at the Nechako reservoir and colder temperature regulations
to protect sockeye.

Premier Mike Harcourt announced that BC would not allow the Kemano
project to continue and will bring in legislation if the federal
government refuses to take action to stop it. But federal fisheries
minister Brian Tobin has so far done nothing to reverse the federal
position on Kemano, which remains the statement signed in 1987 that
salmon are adequately protected under the deal. While this statement
has now been proven entirely false, it's still the federal position
until Brian Tobin and DFO reanalyze the threat to fisheries and
issue a new opinion on salmon protection.

United Fishermen and Allied Workers' Union Environmental Director
Mae Burrows warns that groups opposing Kemano should not let up
pressure until the federal government agrees to scrap the project
and takes specific action to protect Nechako salmon. Specifically,
the minister should use the powers of the federal Fisheries Act to
force Alcan to provide twice as much water as is currently in the
river, to build a cold water release facility and to repair the
damage caused by the original Kemano project built in the 1950's.
Alcan deserves no compensation, the union says, because of its
concerted effort to sidestep an environmental review before the
project was finalized in 1987. With taxpayer subsidized water rates
for decades and over $1 billion in deferred corporate taxes, the
union says enough is enough.
--------------------------------------------------------
MINISTER SHOULD RESIGN

SGSA has joined with Coastal Communities for Staffed Lighthouses,
all seven Vancouver Island locals of the United Fishermen and Allied
Workers' Union, the Schooner Cove Yacht Club and the Campbell River
Aircraft Operators' Association in calling for the resignation of
federal Transport Minister Douglas Young. Despite virtually unanimous
public opposition, the Minister continues to ignore public opinion.
In the midst of the Coast Guard hearings in January (which supposedly
sought public opinion on the de-staffing issue) he was quoted as
telling reporters to "Take a picture. [Lightstations] are all going
to be unmanned." It's clear that his mind was made up and that this
"consultation" was never more than public relations hype.

We urge SGSA members to write Prime Minister Chretien to ask for
the Minister's resignation.

Call our office if you'd like a copy of our submission to the public
consultation. For more information call Carolyn Kons at 604-248-3872.
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OIL ACTION FINALLY COMING?

It looks like things may be moving once again on the oil spill
prevention front. Some good news is that Bill Wolferstan has been
transferred back to the Ministry of Environment's Enforcement and
Environmental Emergencies Branch (EEEB) on a short-term contract
as Spill Prevention Coordinator. He is to carry out several
initiatives over the next few months, including the organization
of a one-day conference on Marine Spill Prevention to be held in
North Saanich on April 4.

The conference, co-sponsored by the BC Ministry of Environment and
the Washington State Office of Marine Safety, will look at the
relative effectiveness of various spill prevention and risk reduction
 measures. A three-person panel (including Dr. Andrew Thompson,
former chair, BC Energy Commission and Commissioner, West Coast
Oil Ports Enquiry) will receive oral and written briefs along with
discussion by conference participants, and submit a summary report
to the two government agencies with recommendations for priorities
for future coordinated actions and development of public policy on
this issue. Registration is limited to 120 participants on a
first-come, first-served basis; contact Bill at 604-387-0845 for
details. Written submissions should be forwarded to Bill by March 17.

As well, thanks to urging from BC Environment Minister Moe Sihota,
a Marine Pollution Prevention Work Group of the Canadian Council
of Ministers of the Environment (CCME) has been established which
will address marine spill prevention at both the national and
regional levels. The work group includes representation from the
Coast Guard, Environment Canada, Fisheries and Oceans, and the
provincial environment ministries of BC, Newfoundland and Nova
Scotia, with an advisory group made up of industry and NGO
representatives.

The Work Group will address: escort, rescue and salvage capability;
marine spill prevention plans; economic/regulatory incentives for
spill prevention; and schedules for double-hulling. Completion date
for developing options for the CCME to consider is March 10, with
all studies and final options to be presented to the CCME by May
15. For information contact Stafford Reid, EEEB at 604-356-9304.

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FAILING GRADES REPORTED

Hot off the press this month: the Transboundary Sewage Report Card,
a joint project of SGSA and People for Puget Sound. The report
looks at sewage treatment in 28 communities in Puget Sound and
Georgia Strait and assigns them letter grades. Only six communities
have received a grade of B- or better and of those six only one is
in BC: Salt Spring Island.

Research for the project took place over several months last fall
(thanks to SGSA researchers David Walker, Michelle Bonner and
Miranda Holmes). The facilities were graded on seven criteria:
untreated discharges, treatment level, non-compliance, industrial
pre-treatment/source control, plans to upgrade, disinfection, and
toxicity testing and frequency. There wer e few pleasant surprises.

Toxic contaminants are inadequately controlled throughout the
region, with source control and industrial pre-treatment programs
the exception rather than the rule. There are chronic and persistent
permit violations on both sides of the border, and the unwillingness
and/or inability of either the state or provincial governments to
diligently enforce the laws provides little incentive for change.
Efforts to deal with combined sewer overflow discharges are moving
very slowly, particularly in BC. Adequate funding for essential
sewage treatment upgrades simply does not exist.

On a brighter note, BC comes out ahead of Washington on disinfection,
with the Ministry of Environment encouraging marine dischargers to
move as quickly as possible to UV radiation rather than chlorine.
So far only Salt Spring Island uses UV, but many municipalities
don't require disinfection and therefore avoid chlorine.

Copies of the full report, including all letter grades, will be
available later this month. Contact SGSA's Nanaimo or Vancouver
office, or in the US, People for Puget Sound at 206-382-7007.
--------------------------------------------------------
MEDIA QUIET ON THREAT

Anyone who didn't pick up a copy of the November 17 issue of
Vancouver's Georgia Straight magazine is probably still blissfully
unaware of SGSA's revelation that cryptosporidium has been found
in Lower Mainland drinking water. Cryptosporidium (a microscopic
spore found in animal feces) causes stomach cramps and diarrhea in
healthy people. It can be deadly to those with weak immune systems,
such as the elderly and, particularly, AIDS and chemo-therapy
patients.

Here is what the mainstream media didn't bother to report:
-A cryptosporidium outbreak in Milwaukee in 1993 caused nearly half
a million illnesses and hundreds of deaths.
-The presence of cryptosporidium in Lower Mainland drinking water
was recorded in the 1991 Greater Vancouver Water District Quality
Control Annual Report.
-There have been 830 cases of cryptosporidium reported throughout
BC in the past four years - 100 in Vancouver alone.
-The vast majority of cryptosporidium cases, if treated at all,
are diagnosed as stomach flu and never reported to health authorities.
-Not once during the 1994 consultation process, which attempted to
railroad the public into choosing between chlorine and chloramine
as a drinking water treatment, was the presence of cryptosporidium
in Lower Mainland drinking water ever mentioned by the GVRD or any
medical health officer.
-Neither chlorine nor chloramine can remove cryptosporidium from
drinking water. Only ozone - the environmentally sound option
demanded by the public and initially ignored by the GVRD -can
eliminate it.

From the beginning of the drinking water debate last year, the GVRD
said the need to upgrade treatment was being driven by the Lower
Mainland medical health officers, yet not one of those doctors
appeared at a single public meeting nor did they raise any concern
about the inability of chloramine, their preferred option, to
protect the public from one of the most common and potentially
dangerous waterborne diseases.

Did the GVRD and the medical health officers know about cryptosporidium
and choose not to inform the public? Or were they unaware of this
easily checked fact? Either way is inexcusable: the first is a
scandal, the second gross incompetence.

Although Georgia Straight ran an excellent article on the subject
(copies available from our Vancouver office), the mainstream media
appears to have been too busy with the OJ Simpson trial and other
matters of grave concern to cover this story.
--------------------------------------------------------
BATHING: A HEALTH RISK?

Chlorine is a powerful oxidizing agent which can destroy, oxidize
or combine with organic substances such as vitamins, enzymes,
unsaturated fatty acids and beneficial bacteria. But if you think
all you need to do is buy bottled water, think again. Aside from
the need to ensure the water isn't bottled in PVC plastic, which
can leach other toxins, drinking chlorinated water isn't the only
cause for concern.

Gases are as a rule less soluble in hot water, so when chlorinated
water is heated or boiled, dissolved gases are released. It is
often possible when having a shower or bath to smell chlorine as
it is released from the hot water. In a confined shower stall, the
escaping chlorine gas steadily increases in concentration. Taking
regular showers with chlorinated water could pose a serious health
risk.

Chlorine causes pulmonary oedema, and regular exposure to chlorine
gas, even at low levels, may reduce the oxygen transfer capacity
of the lungs.

Showering or bathing with chlorinated water exposes skin to a dilute
chlorine solution which can destroy the natural bacteria balance.
Some of this chlorine reacts with oils in the skin to form chlorinated
compounds which may then be absorbed by the body. Given the strong
oxidizing power of chlorine, it is more than likely that regular
exposure to chlorinated water serves also to promote the aging
process of the skin.

Last August the Vancouver Sun reported that an extraordinarily high
rate of asthma and other respiratory ailments among competitive
swimmers was probably due to prolonged exposure to the chemicals
in pool water. Physiologist James Potts studied 738 young Lower
Mainland competitive swimmers and found that respiratory symptoms,
illnesses and allergies are extremely common among these athletes,
who spend up to six hours a day in chlorinated swimming pools.
Potts concluded that treating pool water with ozone instead of
chlorine would pay huge health dividends.

Ideally, the practice of chlorinating water would be banned. In
the meantime, we need to lobby for change and, in the interim,
protect ourselves as best we can. Moving to an area which doesn't
chlorinate its water is a rather extreme solution. Buying a filtering
jug is a basic precaution, as is adding 8 oz. of 35% solution
hydrogen peroxide to bath water (chlorine prevents oxygen being
carried to the cells, while bathing with hydrogen peroxide allows
the body to absorb extra oxygen).

However, it is cheaper in the long run AND safer to invest in home
filters for tap water and shower heads. Countertop filters can be
purchased for less than $100, shower head filters for less. It is
also possible to buy chlorine filters for your garden hose. Check
the yellow pages for suppliers and ask friends what they use.
--------------------------------------------------------
EPA SUBMISSION

In January the US Environmental Protection Agency held a Pacific
Northwest public hearing on its recently released dioxin reassessment.
Hundreds of people packed the meeting room to voice their concerns
and demand immediate action about new evidence linking dioxin
exposure to cancer and a number of reproductive and developmental
ailments. SGSA and Reach for Unbleached made a joint written
submission to the hearing, which has also been forwarded to Moe
Sihota and Sheila Copps, covering the production, use, transport
and incineration of chlorine and chlorinated compounds and including
information and recommendations on PVC plastic, incineration,  pulp
bleaching, pesticides, and chlorination of water, wastewater and
swimming pools. For a copy of the six-page submission, contact our
Vancouver or Nanaimo office.

--------------------------------------------------------
SEWAGE CASE CONTINUES

On January 27 independent prosecutor Peter Leask, appointed by the
Attorney General's office to review the charges against the GVRD
under the federal Fisheries Act for repeated sewage discharge
violations, requested yet another adjournment until February 21.
This is the  fourth adjournment requested by Leask since he was
appointed by Executive Crown Counsel Peter Ewert in September1994,
and the 11th adjournment requested by the province since it took
over the private prosecution initiated in July 1993 by Sierra Legal
Defence Fund on behalf of SGSA.

After threatening to stay the prosecution (drop the charges) days
before the original July 1994 trial date, the AG's office did, when
it appointed Leask, set another trial date of 10 April 1995. What
they were supposed to do last November and still haven't done is
advise the court whether or not they really intend to take the case
to trial. Given the track records of Ewart and Leask, the odds on
a trial do not look promising.

For example, a few years ago Bob Holden of the Cowichan Estuary
Protection Society drew Crown Counsel Ewart's attention to an
illegal waste dump being used by Doman Industries on Vancouver
Island. Holden was told it would be thoroughly investigated. Hours
before the statutory limit for laying charges was due to expire,
Ewart announced that no action would be taken.

Infuriated, Holden contacted the Sierra Legal Defence Fund. Within
hours he and Greg McDade laid a private prosecution against Doman.
The prosecution was subsequently taken over by Ewart, who appointed
a private prosecutor (Leask) to review the charges. Leask decided
to stay the prosecution.

In the immortal words of Yogi Berra... "it's deja vu all over again". 

--------------------------------------------------------
LANGUAGE GAMES

If you generated hazardous waste, would you prefer to A) pay someone
$1000 a ton for it to be handled by a hazardous waste disposal
(incineration) facility or B) pay someone $30 a ton to take it off
your hands? If you were a cement kiln operator looking at your fuel
costs, would you prefer to A) pay $300 a ton for coal or B) receive
$30 a ton for hazardous waste?

If your answer to both questions was B, you'll probably think
Tilbury Cement's scheme to burn hazardous waste as fuel in its kiln
is a great idea.

Tilbury, which has made a number of appearances on the province's
non-compliance list of top polluters, is located at the mouth of
the Fraser River, in the middle of valuable farmland. Although the
US Environmental Protection Agency (which has placed an 18-month
moratorium on hazardous waste incineration) has reached no final
conclusion on the risks associated with cement kilns burning
hazardous waste, it has said the risks are significantly higher if
the kiln is located near farming or fishing. The EPA has cited
incineration of municipal, bio-medical and hazardous waste (including
cement kilns burning hazardous waste or tires as fuel) as the number
one source of dioxins and furans. Tilbury is ALREADY burning tires.

The company, which last summer retained the services of US advertising
giant, Burston-Marsteller, claims it is protecting the environment
by burning waste instead of non-renewable fuels. US critics point
out that kilns can charge substantially less, because they do not
have to meet the same standards as hazardous waste incinerators.
Some US kilns make more money from burning waste than from making
cement.

Last spring Tilbury established the Tilbury Community Advisory
Committee (TCAC) to evaluate the type of wastes it may burn. Nearly
a year later, no such evaluation has taken place. Many groups have
resigned from what they see as an industry PR exercise. The non-
industry representatives remaining on the committee are increasingly
frustrated by the process.

When SGSA and Greenpeace requested copies of minutes, Tilbury's
"independent" facilitator refused to provide them. Following our
protests to the Ministry of Environment, Tilbury has now agreed to
make the meetings public, although observers have no right to speak.

Tilbury claims Burston-Marsteller is long gone. Even so, their deft
damage control touch permeates the mountain of bumph that inundates
the committee. For example, it is difficult to find the words
"hazardous waste" in any Tilbury material. Instead it is the
company's seemingly benign intention to use "certain alternate
fuels" to "provide an efficient and safe alternative for waste
management, environmental protection and sustainable development".

How anyone could buy into the notion that burning hazardous waste
provides environmental protection is difficult to imagine, but it
seems the Ministry of Environment has. In January it was agreed
that Tilbury should participate in the Ministry's new Pollution
Prevention Plan Program. This sounds good on paper, but is it?

In the MoE's definition of Pollution Prevention, the Toxics Reduction
Branch has effectively eliminated "hazardous waste" by replacing
it with the "recovery of energy from polluting by-products" - thus
making burning hazardous waste an acceptable pollution prevention
strategy.

An underlying goal of the Pollution Prevention Plan Program appears
to be to eliminate a lot of permitting paperwork and monitoring
requirements by encouraging industry to carry out pollution prevention
initiatives on a voluntary basis. The province is currently setting
up several demonstration projects, including Tilbury and the Elk
Falls pulp mill. If you think industrial self-monitoring works,
you'll probably think this is a great idea.
--------------------------------------------------------
SOLAR AQUATICS UPDATE

This year Solar Aquatics Systems will make its debut in BC, with
Eco-Tek's first facility under construction in Hendrix Lake (near
Wells Gray Park). It will be a 10,000 gallon/day facility, designed
for a harsh climate, intermittent flows and remote location, thus
making it an excellent sewage treatment demonstration project.

Other projects are at the Feasibility Study phase and include
Channel Ridge on Salt Spring, two BC Building Corporation correctional
institutes, and a small co-operative development in Tofino. Eco-Tek
is hopeful that at least two systems will be constructed in 1995.

In the rest of Canada, two Solar Aquatics Systems are in start-up
phase in Nova Scotia and the Ontario Science Museum's system is
operational. Both the Ontario and Nova Scotia Governments have been
pro-active in the implementation of Solar Aquatics and have won
federal support through Infrastructure Grants and Green Plan dollars.
With encouragement from citizens, perhaps the BC government might
also explore this technology with vigor and provide assistance to
a demonstration project in the Georgia Basin region. Small,
incremental steps such as this must be taken if we are to effect
a transformation from the social and technical mistakes of the past
to new, ecologically sustainable ways that reconnect us to the
earth and embrace positive change.

For information on Solar Aquatics Systems, contact Kim Rink at
Eco-Tek, 604-688-3060, fax 688-3061.
--------------------------------------------------------
THANKS TO...
Norman Abbey, Kirsten Aichberger, Jessica Alford, Gary Anaka, David
Anderson, Carl Ashley, Bill Austin, Donna Berthiaume, Terra Bohart,
Diana Borean, Bob Bossin, Gord Boswick, Wayne Bradley, Mike Bromilow,
Delores Broten, Alvin Brown, Debi Brummel, Ron Buechert, Mae Burrows,
Michael Candler, Catherine Cardinal, Don Chamberlain, Jonathon &
Iris Churcher, Andrea Clark, Susan & Uri Cogan, Frank Cox, Charlie
Cray, Lili Cummins, Guy Dauncey, Neil Dawe, Debra Daws, Brian
Dietrich, Fin Donnelly, Catherine Elliot, Roberta Evans, Kathy
Fletcher, Wilma Foley, Tracey Friesen, Chuck Gahr, Chris Garrett,
Russ Greaves, Alan Haig-Brown, Melissa Hall, Gretchen Harlow, Angela
Heeds, Glen Henschke, Pierre Herbert, Chris Hilliar, Ann Hillyer,
Jennifer Hoffman, Susan Holvenstot, Tracy Housman, Will Howe, Glen
Jamieson, Glen Johnston, Erik Karlsen, Kel Kelly, Paul Kennedy,
Bashir Khalafawi, Dale Knowles, David Lane, Nora Layard, Irene
Malthouse, Jim Manly, Julian Matson, Sherri McPherson, Zoe Miles,
Liz Moses, Cate Muir, Lee Nikl, Pat Nordin, Glen Okrainetz, Roy
Ostling, Paul Pasternak, Adrienne Peacock, Jackie Pearce, Rachel
Peterson, Lyn Pinkerton, Judith Plant, Yon Raoul, Bill Rees, Judith
Reid, Kim Rink, Brian Robertson, Svend Robinson, Murray Rogers,
Ken Ryan, Joan Sawicki, Gail Simpson, Howard Stiff, Eleanor Taylor,
Will Thomas, Arnie Thomlin son, Louis Vallee, David Wall, David
Walker, David Weston, Alan Wilson, Mike Wood, Don Woodcock, George
Wyse, Ernest Yan, Vic Yanda, Ken Zakreski, Katalin Zumpf.

AND TO...
1 Stop Photo, Blue Skies Health Food Store, The Bookstore on Bastion
Street, Country Club Centre, Fraser & Naylor Booksellers, Fuji
Photo Film Canada Inc., Harbour Chandler, Haven by-the-Sea,
Imagination Market, Island Copy Centre, Island Natural, Jeff King,
Lighthouse Bistro, Made-'n-a-Minute, Nanaimo Health Shop, Nanaimo
Music Store, Nanaimo Youth Services ociety, Newfoundland to Nanaimo,
North Island Custom Images, Outdoor Store, Paper Choice, Patagonia,
P.B. Cruise Bookseller, Raven Feed & Pet Supply, Rogers Cable
(Victoria), Samson's Soap Shop, Specialized Impressions, St. Jean's
Cannery Ltd., Terra Crystal Gallery, Tree Frog Toys, Victoria Public
Library, The West Coast Experience, Yellow Bird Arts.
--------------------------------------------------------
A SPECIAL THANK YOU TO...
- Robert and Birgit Bateman for their generous donation at a time
of critical need;
- the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Shaw Cable 4 (Nanaimo) for
their support of our October conference (missed in the acknowledgments
in our last newsletter).
--------------------------------------------------------
RESOURCES
Call our Nanaimo office for any of the following new resources:
- Now available: REnvironsS 100% cotton t-shirts by Victoria graphic
artist Mike Wood. The design features a fish being hooked in front
of a pulp mill complete with billowing smoke stacks, saying as it
is pulled from the water, "Thank God you got me out of there!" $1
of the $15 purchase price goes to SGSA.

- Waterwise: Ending the Waste Mentality, SGSA's 26-minute video on
innovative sewage treatment alternatives and their connection to
clean, abundant water. Produced by Will Thomas, this dynamic and
powerful video is useful to schools, community groups, local
governments and citizens. $40 (SGSA members $35), or rent for
$20/showing.

- Beach Critters: Exploring Intertidal Life through Quadrat Studies,
SGSA's 18-minute video features children and teenagers learning
about life in the intertidal zone and how to carry out a quadrat
study. Produced by Terra Bohart, this delightful video is aimed at
schools, cable stations and community groups. $30 (SGSA members
$25), or rent for $15/showing.
-- 
Richard Doty
<rad@twig.com>