As MLA for the Sea to Sky region, Jordan Sturdy is used to hearing a common refrain from constituents.
“I hear it all the time. There’s a perception out there that projects are simply approved,” Sturdy said, referring specifically to development projects required to pass through B.C.’s Environmental Assessment (EA) Office.
That public sentiment is understandable in a riding where residents have watched Woodfibre LNG’s proposal to build a natural-gas facility near Howe Sound inch closer to reality in spite of significant local opposition.
In an interview with Pique this month, My Sea to Sky co-founder Tracey Saxby went so far as to question the validity of the EA process for Woodfibre LNG.
“There’s not a whole lot of oversight or looking out for the environment and even public safety when (the province) is so determined to have this facility up and running,” she said. “It really makes the legitimacy of the entire process highly questionable.”
Brandon Barrett – Pique – February 16, 2017.