As of October 6th 2015 at 5 pm, the Town of Gibsons has not responded to GABC's email request to honour their legal obligations re: the George re-zoning and the required site profile for the Hyak Marine contaminated.
The Town of Gibsons will consider third reading of the bylaw at Council tonight.
Email sent to Gibsons Mayor and Council
Cc' to Local First Nations, Provincial and Federal Government Agencies
On Mon, Sep 28, 2015 at 12:32 PM
Dear Mayor Rowe and Gibsons Council:
West Coast Environmental Law (WCEL) has written to you on our behalf, with regard to your consideration of a proposal to rezone the Hyak Marine Site for the George hotel and marina application. Their letter is attached to this correspondence.
WCEL presented you with a clear legal rationale as to why the municipality has obligations under s. 40(2) and (4) of the EMA and ss. 946.1 and 946.2 of the Local Government Act, to ensure a site profile is submitted, prior to re-zoning these lands.
We ask that you please honour your obligations under the Environmental Management Act and the Local Government Act. We ask that you ensure this contaminated site is dealt with appropriately, through the proper channels, including the BC Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Forest Lands and Natural Resource Operations, Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Squamish First Nation and any other potentially affected parties.
Thank you for your time and attention.
Suzanne Senger
President Gibsons Alliance of Business and Community Society
As you know, Gibsons Alliance of Business and Community is a registered society with a mandate to work together with citizens and groups to educate, inform, and support them in helping our elected representatives make the best decisions possible on issues of public interest in Gibsons.
GABC has been a member of the Gibsons and District Chamber of Commerce for several years. Since 2013, we have encouraged our business and non-profit members to become members of the Chamber of Commerce and to support and attend Chamber workshops, seminars, business after-hours events, etc.
However, the Gibsons Chamber of Commerce has decided to take "positions" on issues in our community, including the contentious George hotel project. The GDCC are now promoting this non-compliant re-zoning and Official Community Plan amendment.
This decision concerns us for a few reasons.
WHY THE GIVEAWAYS OF OUR ASSETS?
The design of the George Hotel and Residences does not fit with the “village scale and character” that we have agreed, through community consultations, we want in the Landing—too high, too massive, too urban-looking. There are questions about protection of the aquifer and ensuring that highly-toxic contaminants in the soil and the ocean bed are not released into the marine environment.
But that’s not all. Discussions by Town staff with the developer have included agreeing to “give away” many of our public assets!