The Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) has once again delayed the rezoning application for the proposed Burnco gravel mine at McNab Creek, but a company official downplayed the impact on the timing of the project.
"A delay is never a good thing," said Derek Holmes, Burnco's regional manager for B.C. "But the results of the environmental assessment will be available when they are and people will be able to make an informed decision at that point."
On April 4, the SCRD's infrastructure services committee voted to defer the application until after the environmental assessment for the project is completed. In a decision last November, the committee had voted to delay consideration of first reading until Burnco's application information requirement (AIR) - the project's terms of reference for environmental assessment - was made public.
In his review of the draft AIR on April 5, senior planner David Rafael said there were "no obvious gaps" in the document, though he recommended emphasizing a few key points in the SCRD's comments to the Environmental Assessment Office (EAO).
Based on Rafael's recommendations, the committee urged the EAO to require Burnco to:
Assess what impact the mine could have on the ongoing recovery of Howe Sound.
Address the potential impact on tourism and recreation.
Provide appropriate studies on the environmental impact on key species such as eelgrass, forage fish and cetaceans, especially from increased barge movement.
The committee also agreed to an added motion by West Howe Sound director Lee Turnbull, calling on the proponent to "identify what the net benefit would be to Howe Sound" and its communities if the project went ahead.
"What I'm hearing is the only one that will benefit is the proponent," Turnbull said.
The committee also agreed to Turnbull's suggestion that the SCRD hold off on considering the rezoning application "until we hear the results of the environmental assessment."
If the EAO opts to proceed with the application, the committee asked that consideration be given to making improvements to the foreshore area and that amenities such as new trails or a kayak landing be included.
The draft AIR was sent out to members of a working group comprised of the SCRD and federal and provincial agencies, with comments due by April 15, Rafael said. Squamish First Nation is being consulted on the project, as well.
The committee also went with Rafael's recommendation to forward the draft AIR and comments to several community and stakeholder groups.
"The draft is not a document the public can make comments on but given the nature of the document, it will be useful for those groups to have a longer lead time," Rafael said.
Formal public consultation will take place after Burnco has submitted its complete application to the EAO.
Most of the studies required as part of the environmental assessment "are complete or close to complete," Holmes said.
Burnco has applied for a permit under the Mines Act to process sand and gravel at McNab Creek, northeast of Port Mellon. The separate rezoning application before the SCRD would allow construction and operation of a processing facility on the 77-hectare site.
The $40-million project will create about 12 full-time jobs, the company has said.
