British Columbia UFAWU opposes Burns Bog megaproject Residents angered over Steveston plan Residents of Steveston were expected to pack their community hall March 3 to oppose a move by local Conservative Party backers and realtors to build a controversial commercial project on public land. At risk is the quality of community life in Steveston, an historically unique part of Richmond, and the commercial fishery in the area. Dennis Brown of the United Fishermen and Allied Workers Union, one of the lead- ers of the fight against the project, said Min- ister of Fisheries and Oceans Tom Siddon approved the project without public hear- ings. The proposed development would be on a parcel of waterfront land along Steves- ton’s Bayview Street, run by the Small Craft Harbours Board, a division of the Depart- ment of Fisheries and Oceans. Two parts of the project, which involves a restaurant, a market and a pub, have already received approval from a divided Richmond city council. The four members of the Richmond New Democrats opposed the move, while four other aldermen favoured the project, with Mayor Gil Blair casting the deciding vote. The coritroversy erupted one year ago when Siddon announced a freeze on the land until the “best use” of it could be determined, The Fisherman reports. The UFAWU’s newspaper states that Siddon’s announcement followed talks with Larry and Jerry Biggar, partners with Bob Biely and Bryan Cousineau in Steveston Waterfront Properties Ltd., the project’s developer. The paper notes that Jerry Biggar and Cousineau “are realtors with NRS Block Bros. in Richmond. Both describe them- selves as lifelong Tory and Social Credit supporters and Cousineau is a member of the Richmond Conservative Association executive. “Both Biggar and Cousineau worked for Bill Vander Zalm in his successful bid to win the Socred leadership,” The Fisherman writes in its Feb. 23 edition. Brown charged that “there has been no complete review of development for the harbour and this needs to be done.” Instead, Brown said, Siddon has accepted ““behind-the-scenes bids” for the unpopular project. Brown said community complaints are that the project will create a parking “nightmare,” will compete unfairly with established businesses, will take up valuable public waterfront land (fishermen are cal- ling for a park on the site) and deny people access to the waterfront. Additionally, said Browii, there are fears that commercial fishermen will be displaced from their traditional moorage once the 2 e Pacific Tribune, March 2, 1988 a project is initiated. He said Siddon has publicly speculated that the commercial fishery should be moved out of Greater Vancouver alto- gether, and be relegated to Vancouver Island communities such as Port Alberni. Brown said the area was blanketed with thousands of leaflets for the Thursday meet- ing. City council members have been invited, and Siddon has been challenged to bring “all those people he says are in favour of this project.” More than 150 residents packed an ear- lier meeting Feb. 4 to protest the proposed development. Last month’s convention of the UFAWU passed a resolution calling on Richmond council to oppose the development. The resolution also demanded that “instead of dismantling the Steveston harbour ... the appropriate government agencies (should) meet with fishermen, local residents and businesses to work out a long term plan to expand the commercial fishing industry presence in Steveston, while ... preserving its historical and environmentally unique nature.” The meeting begins at 7:30 p.m. at Steves- ton Community Hall on Moncton Road. The United Fishermen and Allied Workers Union’s envitonmental wing will be examining the ramifications of a corpo- rate proposal to build a multi-billion dollar container port in Burns Bog — a move that could destroy the local fishery and ruin the environmentally sensitive area. Environmentalists, wildlife protection groups and local fishermen are casting a wary eye on the proposed project, and the union has already actively opposed the development. Delta municipal council has yet to make a decision on whether to give the go-ahead for the $10.5-billion project of Western Delta Lands. Initially an attempt by one labour- supported alderman to hold full public hearings on all aspects of the development had been rejected by council’s dominant business interests. However, at its meeting last week council voted to hold “one or more”’ public meetings Guang the week of May 18. Council also voted to “commence the process of amending (Delta’s) community plan” to facilitate the project, Ald. Bruce McDonald of the Citizens Association of Delta — CitADel — said. The project envisions the creation of not only a port, but a huge residential commer- cial area on the 6,000-acre site. Projections are that the project could double Delta’s population of approximately 75,000 over the six to nine years it will take for construc- tion. Arnie Thomlinson, of the UFAWU’s T. Buck Suzuki Foundation, said the idea of a megaport in Burns Bog has been “floating around for the past four of five years. “But before one shovel of sod is turned, they should be holding a complete set of formal hearings on the environmental impact,”’ he asserted. John Stevens, secretary of UFAWU’s Ladner Local, said the project will be opposed by local fishermen. Stevens said the union, which backed the local’s position at its provincial convention last month, is concerned about the envir- onmental risk and “the prospect of increased marine traffic on the Fraser River, which _ interferes substantially with the commercial fishery.” Critics point out that other industrial sites in the area — Tilbury Island and Annacis Island, for example — are still under-used. Dr. Ken Hall, a University of B.C. professor with the Westwater Research Institute, said any such project would face stiff competition from a planned harbour site on landfill in nearby Richmond. The Burns Bog site, while of value to conservationists who point out that it con- tains several species of wildlife, is relatively inexpensive land. Windfall profits could be made from the housing portion of the pro- ject, even if no port was constructed. Ald. McDonald said Western Delta Lands has handed council 30 different reports on the project. ~ He said the number of public meetings is contingent on public interest, “and I imagine there will be a good deal of public interest.” Thomlinson said the project presents a key environmental hazard because it involves connecting the bog with the Fraser River. Once the protective peat barrier is removed, leachtate and toxic substances from the Burns Bog landfill — the city dump for Vancouver and several other municipalities — can enter the Fraser, he said. Thomlinson said plans for a port in the bog have been presented in one form or another several times in the past four to five years. “People reject the idea, so they put it on the shelf to gather dust and then bring it out later when the fuss has died down. “They never use that time to do any environmental studies. Then they try to panic councils into making a sudden deci- sion,” he charged. Environmental concerns were somites ignored in the construction of the SkyTrain bridge linking New Westminster with Sur- rey across the Fraser River, Thomlinson said. Despite the threat to the salmon runs, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans did nothing about violations to the Fisher- ies Act by the construction firm, a consor- tium of the Korean corporation, Hyundai, and the anti-union B.C. firm, J.C. Kerkhoff and Sons. The T. Buck Suzuki Foundation will prepare a study on the impacts of the pro- posed superport. The Ladner Local of the UFAWU has stated its opposition to the project to municipal council. March 5 rally tops IWD events Celebrations of International Women’s Day open early this year with an evening of music at La Quena Coffee House. Set for Friday, March 4 at 8 p.m,)scheduled per- formers include the three woman a cappella group, Aya, the Raging Grannies and Mer- rillee and Maudi. The following day, Saturday, March 5, will see thé annual International Women’s Day march and rally. Plans for this year’s event are somewhat different from previous year’s. Assembly for the march is at 11:30 a.m. at Victory Square, Cambie and Hast- ings. From Victory Square the march will proceed down Hastings to Oppenheimer Park in the Downtown Eastside for a rally. After the rally, information tables will be set up at the First United Church, 320 E. Hast- ings St. On Sunday, March 6, La Quena Coffee House is sponsoring an evening of films on women in the Middle East. Beginning at 8 p.m. the program includes A Veiled Revo- lution, a recent film of women in Egypt, and Women Under Siege, about Palestinian women living in Lebanon. A panel discus- sion will follow the films. Admission is $3. For more information on any event at La Quena call 251-6626. During the week of March 6 to 13, a display on women’s issues will be on view at the Main Branch of the Vancouver Public Library. March 8 is International Women’s Day and the organization, Union Sisters, is sponsoring a dinner at La Quena that even- ing. Admission to the dinner is $6.50. For more details call 251-2626 or 731-0605. The Congress of Canadian Women’s annual celebration takes place on Sunday, March 13 at | p.m. at the Russian Hall, 600 Campbell Ave. The luncheon will feature a speaker from the B.C. Coalition for Abor- tion Clinics, entertainment and displays. Tickets are $6 and are available by calling — 254-9797 or 254-3066. 1 p.m. _ Russian Hall, available. Join the Congress of Canadian Women for an International Women’s Day Lunch SUNDAY, MARCH 13 600 Campbell Avenue Luncheon, entertainment, bake table, childcare TICKETS: $6 Call 254-9797 or 254-3066 for tickets or information. Speaker from the B.C. Coalition for Abortion Clinics.