B.C. government officials expressed concern that a letter from Agriculture Minister Lana Popham to a coastal fish farm might be construed as a threat to the company’s ability to continue operating in B.C. waters, according to documents obtained by Postmedia News.
Political staff urged changes to Popham’s letter just three hours before it was sent to coastal fish farm company Marine Harvest on Oct. 13, 2017, emails released under the Freedom of Information Act request show.
“If we’re going to use the shortened letter, I’d suggest a slight amendment to the final paragraph,” wrote Tim Renneberg, ministerial assistant to Forests Minister Doug Donaldson, in one of 124 pages of emails released.
“Taking out ‘I want to be clear’ alters the tone and the slight change to the last sentence makes it more matter-of-fact and less threatening.”
Renneberg later added in another email: “My concern is that the shortened letter sounds like a not-very-veiled threat, which is not the intent of the letter.”
Vancouver Sun – February 28, 2018
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