Editor:
Re: Woodfibre holds public discussion for LNG project (Coast Reporter, March 27)
As you are aware, on Saturday, March 21, Woodfibre LNG, in cooperation with Gambier Island Local Trust Committee and Sunshine Coast Regional District, held a roundtable discussion on our project on Gambier Island. Overall, feedback from those who participated in the meeting has been positive, as the format resulted in some very good discussion and information sharing.
Since that meeting, there have also been some inquiries about the proposed route for LNG carriers in Howe Sound, and I wanted to take this opportunity to address any possible misunderstanding.
Should the Woodfibre LNG project go ahead, LNG carriers — three to four per month, accompanied by at least three tugboats and piloted by two BC coast pilots — will transit Howe Sound on the existing shipping route through Queen Charlotte Channel east of Bowen Island, past Gambier Island and to the Woodfibre LNG terminal. This route is also the shipping route that is under close examination as part of Transport Canada’s TERMPOL review process, which will issue recommendations that we are committed to carrying out.
An alternate route, through Collingwood Channel west of Bowen Island, was identified in 2013 through the environmental assessment process as required by the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act (CEAA 2012). This route option was abandoned some time ago.
I can assure you that if the Woodfibre LNG project goes ahead, it is our intention that LNG carriers will travel along the existing shipping route, entering Howe Sound through Queen Charlotte Channel, between Bowen Island and the District of West Vancouver.
Byng Giraud, vice president, corporate affairs, Woodfibre LNG Limited
