Editor:
Last summer’s drought was a huge stress for our families and businesses as we all struggled together to save every drop of water from our showers and baths and kitchen sinks. We had to leave plants in our food gardens drying out because we were in Stage 4 Water restrictions.
What point will water meters serve or spending millions of dollars to increase the water holding capacity of Chapman Lake if Surespan, a private company from North Vancouver, can trash our watershed with logging? Trees are water storage tanks, drawing water up from deep in the ground, storing the water and then releasing it as transpiration throughout the year.
I am grateful for the wisdom and generosity of the Sechelt Band who in 2008 successfully petitioned the provincial government for protection of the Chapman and Gray creeks as part of their land claim negotiations in the treaty process. I am heartened to see people coming together in the forest, in the rain and the wind to stand for our drinking water.
Water is life. It is a most basic necessity for a healthy community. We need more people to come help at the blockade to send a clear message to the SCRD board of directors. We expect them to be more assertive and creative in getting local control and the ability to totally protect our watershed once and for all.
Denise Lagasse, Halfmoon Bay
