Powell River residents gathered Saturday, May 26th at James Thomson School in Wildwood for a rally and parade sponsored by Powell River Legacy. The event gave voice to a huge groundswell of support to defeat Catalyst Paper's application for a landfill expansion.

The rally featured local speakers as well as Green Party candidate Silvaine Zimmerman, musician John Tyler and the Powell River Raging Grannies. The event was capped by a bagpiper-led parade of over 350 people through the streets of Wildwood.  The march ended at the landfill gates where community representatives delivered collected petitions to Catalyst personnel.

Listen to the opening speech:

» Listen to all the speeches

Here is something we can all do right now. Download and print this Action Letter, fill it out, and mail it to the Ministry of the Environment at the address below:

Ministry of the Environment
Lower Mainland Regional Manager
Environmental Manager
Environmental Protection
10470 152nd St
Surrey BC V3R0Y3

To Powell River Legacy group:

If (hypothetically speaking) the closure of the wildwood landfill also means the closure of the mill, and the loss of 640 jobs ,would you still try and close the landfill? yes or no! Please post so we all know where prlegacy stands.

Reply 1 from the PR Legacy group:

This is a great question as it makes very clear an assumption that is operating in Powell River regarding the landfill.

To Powell River Legacy group:

i read some of the letters and was wondering about the lagoon in wildwood where all the sewage from wildwood goes, is there not a concern there?
id rather have flyash then sewage if i had a choice

dan

Reply from the PR Legacy group:

The residents of Wildwood are always concerned that our lagoon be properly maintained. We have little to worry about. A correctly operated sewage lagoon is an effective way to treat household waste water. In theory the bacteria in the lagoon digest the waste and the outflow into the ocean is clear. Under normal conditions the Wildwood sewage lagoon smells about the same as the municipal waste treatment plant and the water quality of the outflow is often better. The care taken by the municipal crew is appreciated.

To the Powell River Legacy group:

I understand your concerns I also wonder what will happen if you reach your goals. Our mill is on shakey ground, Paper prices are down, the Candian dollar is rising. A paper Machine in Port Alberni has been shut down. This is a big company, they can shut this mill down in a heart beat and start up the machine in Port Alberni. When you say you are not trying to shut the mill down or cause job loss you may be doing just that. Do you really care about the mill and it's employees? I really have to wonder. If you can come up with an alternative site for dumping this waste, say so. It seems to be a case of "not in my back yard". This mill has gone the limit reducing pollution. If you were here in the 60's you would know what I mean. But then I doubt any of you were. This is a mill town if you don't like it here......move. I've lived in the townsite for 66 years and worked in the mill for 40 years and I love it!  I'll bet you don't post this. You only seem to have one side to your website.

Reply from PR Legacy:

The goal of PR Legacy is to help create a safe future for everybody who lives in Powell River. Safe environmentally, economically, and any other way that safety and health matters to the people who live here.

BC's Health Authorities: Who gets hired (and fired).
By Will McMartin
Published: January 31, 2007 TheTyee.ca

Unexpectedly, and unintentionally, a small window was opened last week on the tight coterie of business people who have been favoured with high-powered political appointments since 2001 when Gordon Campbell's B.C. Liberals won election to government.

On Wednesday, Jan. 24, Trevor Johnstone was fired as chair of the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority, a position he held "at pleasure" through a cabinet appointment. The surprising dismissal followed disclosure that the health authority -- one of five such regional health entities in the province, and the largest, with an operating budget this year of more than $1.7 billion -- is facing a $40 million deficit.