Update: Progress on
Colliery Dams Discussions
(Nanaimo BC, July 30,
2013) – Since reconvening the 30-day process to exhaust all possible options and
considerations for the Middle and Lower Colliery Dams before awarding a tender
for removal of both structures, the City of Nanaimo and the Snuneymuxw First
Nation have been working closely together to make
progress.
As part of that work,
all parties, together with the facilitator, have met with officials from the
Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) and the Province’s Dam Safety Branch to
ensure they are aware of the discussion process and seek their commitment to
working together collaboratively as a high priority.
“I’m pleased to say
that thanks to the intensity of our efforts with both DFO and the Dam Safety
Branch we have secured their commitment,” said Snuneymuxw Chief Douglas White
III. “We feel those discussions are opening up positive new pathways to viable
solutions.”
“We are very
delighted that officials from the Dam Safety Branch have indicated that they are
prepared to work with us as we examine various mitigation solutions, should we
all agree at the end of the process that the best short-term path forward is to
leave both dams in place for the winter”, said Nanaimo City Mayor, John Ruttan.
“Throughout our discussions, public safety has remained a priority for all
parties; the need for a good mitigation solution is therefore
critical”.
Both the City of
Nanaimo and the Snuneymuxw First Nation are continuing to work actively on
gathering additional technical information on all of the options for the dams
before August 8, when the 30-day period ends. The City has instructed its staff
and consultants to review and re-examine the various studies and reports, along
with the underlying assumptions in them, to ensure that all considerations are
exhausted.
As part of this work,
standards that were used during the original cost estimates to rebuild both dams
will be revisited. These estimates – either for rebuilding or repair – were
based on a “no maintenance” standard that would see the dams remain in good
condition without need for repair following a catastrophic seismic event. Such
a standard is higher than what is required by the Dam Safety Branch, which demands only that the dams not fail. To help inform the
discussions, consultants are now comparing the potential costs and requirements
of building to that standard.
Engagement with
interested citizen groups continues to be identified as an important part of the
process. Members of the public are invited to submit their views on the options
for the dams to collieryfacilitator@shaw.ca
before August 8th. The facilitator will be reporting to the City of
Nanaimo, the Snuneymuxw First Nation and various community groups on the
information received. Once briefed, all parties hope to be on a joint pathway
concerning the future of the dams.
Here we go with the impossible standards again. Name one other structure in B.C. that has that standard applied to it. I suggest that all new construction of any kind, be required to meet that standard. I thought there was going to be some degree of fairness and sensibility applied to this process, obviously not. The city has turned this into a joke once again
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