Keri Sculland, Alberni Valley Times, June 06, 2011

The public coal environmental assessment meeting held Thursday evening at the Alberni Athletic Hall sent a clear message that coal is not welcome in the Alberni Valley.

"We can certainly note that we have heard a fair amount of public opposition, so we can put that for the record," B.C. Environmental Assessment project assessment manager Rachel Shaw said.

Before the public comment part of the meeting began, 60 people signed up to ask their questions. A sheet located at the back of the room gathered enough people's attention to stretch out the public commentary period to four hours. Each of the speakers were given two minutes to ask their questions and two minutes for a response. Often, the bell rang that time was up, but many people continued to speak.

From 7 to 11 p.m., there was clapping, standing ovations, shouting, booing and one count of inappropriate behaviour. Around 8:30 p.m., an expert spoke up and asked a speaker to not be rude, and reminded him that the meeting was being broadcast live, with no censorship.

Barb Biley is a Courtenay resident who also attended the meeting in her community the week before. She traveled to Port Alberni to reiterate the vibe of the previous meeting.

"The process that we're going through here is a bit of an exercise of which we know the outcome, and we don't like it very much," Biley said, adding that Port Alberni and Courtenay residents share the same sentiments. "This is a business deal."

The B.C. Environmental Assessment Office and the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency received praise from many residents for going through this process. However, residents have also requested an independent review of the environmental and socioeconomic impacts of the proposed project.

City manager Ken Watson gave a diplomatic comment for the expert panel, sending the mayor's regard with him. He agreed with people in the room, saying that city council wants to see Raven Underground go to an independent review. He added that rail is not a feasible option at this time, but that the Island Corridor Foundation and Raven Underground have been considering it.

First to speak at the meeting, Port Alberni and District Labour Council president Kelly Drybrough mentioned the option of coal coming by rail, and asked if the company would be willing to pay money toward a road that has ruts the size of "Mt. Washington snow moguls." Compliance Energy's Raven Underground Coal Project president and CEO John Tapics said the company would pay a port fee with the Port Alberni Port Authority, and a portion would go to road maintenance. He added that the company will be including an analysis of possibly transporting the coal by rail instead of truck.

The first to receive a roaring cheer and standing ovation, Gary Swann raised concerns that the draft Application Information Requirements would not serve the needs of the Port Alberni community.

"We were hoping to see the most vigorous and thorough environmental assessment possible, and then we got the draft AIR," he stated. "There's a number of things that are missing from it. There's absolutely no details. We don't have confidence that this draft is going to serve the needs of our community."

Before entering the building that evening, swarms of anti-coal signs, protesters and even a dead canary display greeted the public as they made their way into the meeting.

The meeting was scheduled to last three hours, ending at 10 p.m., but ran an extra hour. Chris Alemany broadcast the event live online, an average of 100 people were watching. Approximately 300 people attended the meeting, although many left as the meeting entered the fourth hour.

Next, the provincial and federal governments will join Raven Underground in Union Bay on Friday evening at the Community Club. To find the draft AIR/EIS, check the library, or go online to www.theravenproject.ca.

ksculland@avtimes.net

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