9 March 2010

Opponents Split on Boycott

Kamloops British Columbia - An opponent of Aboriginal Cogeneration's plan to burn creosote railway ties in Kamloops is calling for a boycott of Thursday's forum, but other campaigners aren't joining.
 
Calling it a "free country," Derek Cook, a political scientist at Thompson Rivers University, said he has no objection to Aboriginal Cogeneration Corp. president Kim Sigurdson, along with government officials, being invited to a special Kamloops Chamber of Commerce forum Thursday.
 
And the local chapter of the Council of Canadians, which is also strongly opposed to the gasifier being located here, will not join the forum boycott.
 
Local activist John McNamer issued a call among opponents on the weekend for a boycott of the forum, which takes place Thursday at 7 p.m. at TRU's Grand Hall. He called the meeting "cosmetic" and is organizing a rally beforehand in the Campus Activity Centre.
 
In an interview, McNamer called the decision to attend "individual choice" but he fears the company will consider its consulation finished at the end of the meeting.
 
Cook agreed the meeting does not meet the need for consultation. He is also disappointed a representative from Stantec Engineering is not there as well as officials from Sustainable Development Technology Canada and Innovative Clean Energy, which together are slated to contribute $4.2 million to the project.
 
"Given we're paying for Stantec's services (through the grant funding) why aren't we hearing from them?"
 
Cook said he will attend the forum as well as the rally organized by McNamer beforehand.
 
Council of Canadians representative Anita Strong agreed the forum can't be used by the company to satisfy demands for community consultation, which is required to receive money from Ottawa and Victoria.
 
"Whether we're there or not is irrelevant... it's impossible that this is community consultation."
 
In response to suggestions that the meeting might not be impartial, the chamber issued a press release Monday.
 
"To be clear, the Kamloops Chamber of Commerce has not taken a position on the project. The role of the Chamber forum is simply to provide a neutral opportunity for our members and the public to obtain information on an important community issue that has up to now been unavailable," stated the release.
 
"We are strongly encouraging those members of the public seeking more information about the project, proponent, and the Ministry of Environment approval, to attend the forum and have their questions answered."
 
Strong, who will be in Vancouver during the rally, said she has no objection to the chamber forum, adding "some people want to go and see if they can get more information.
 
"I'm encouraging people to come to the rally. We're strongly opposed to having it (gasifer) here."
 
McNamer called the forum "an attempt to try to establish that there has been community consultation in the permitting process, which is a requirement for the siting of this type of plant that very clearly has not been met."
 
Cam Fortems.