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Volume 62 No. 01
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Sentinel
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Northern
www.northernsentinel.com
Wednesday, January 6, 2016
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1.30 INCLUDES TAX
Winter wonderland In the final days of 2015 the Kitimat Valley enjoyed majestic winter weather, as seen here at the Hirsch Creek Golf and Winter Club driving range.
No scrubbers are needed at Rio Tinto smelter The Environmental Appeals Board has decided that Rio Tinto’s emissions permit, specifically in the allowances of sulphur dioxide (SO2) is allowed to stand. The permit was the subject of a lengthy ap-
peals process pressed forward by Kitimat residents Emily Toews and Lis Stannus. The Board determined the emissions permit, which allows the SO2 emissions to rise from 27 tonnes a day to 42, could stand
Building blocks of fun
/page 3 A look in to 2016 with Mayor Germuth
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due to what it considered Rio Tinto’s comprehensive approach to providing information on the permit and the opportunity given to the public to comment on it. Basically, the company followed all of their requirements to reach out to the public to receive their permit. Stannus said that there is disappointment that the emissions were ultimately approved by the appeals board but she does remain happy that the decision did come with nine recommendations mainly centered around health studies. The recommendations include that the Environmental Management Act Director engage with the ministry of environment to encourage a provincially-led Kitimat area health study. As well, if the province does under-
take such a study that any of the findings be considered for any amendment to the environmental effects monitoring plan (EEM). Stannus says the conditions relating to health speak to the concerns she and fellow appellant Toews had from the start. “I’m happy about it,” said Stannus on the conditions in the decision. “I’m hopeful the ministry of environment will adopt those recommendations.” She’s particularly happy the conditions pertain directly to health issues. “That’s what we were saying all along in the appeal, that the impacts on health needed further investigation,” she said. “Unfortunately it [the conditions] was done after the permit. Which seems odd to
The Rio Tinto aluminum smelter will be able to continue operations without the use of SO2 scrubbers as the Environmental Appeal Board has upheld their emissions permit. me.” She said it would be prudent to conduct health studies before issuing permits for things that could be harmful to people’s health. She said she also remains concerned with statistics showing 12 per cent of Kitimat residents have a respiratory illness right now.
“I don’t think any increase is trivial when it has to do with health.” As a school teacher she says she sees a lot of children with respiratory issues. “I’m always going to wonder if that respiratory issue is a result of the increase,” she said. “That’s always going to hang over me.”
The lawyer representing Toews, Richard Overstall, said the board’s ruling effectively endorsed the two main things the appellants were arguing against, the first being the close relationship that the provincial regulators have with the industries they’re supposed to be regulating. Cont’d on page 2