Mayor Armand Hurford has expressed concerns over a recent provincial compliance order issued by the BC Environmental Assessment Office (EAO) that directs Woodfibre LNG to move workers to the floatel by the end of this Friday, June 21.
In a Committee of the Whole meeting on June 18, Hurford said the District’s interpretation of the order differs significantly. “In our assessment, the order directs them to resolve the issues and work through the temporary use permitting process,” Hurford stated. “They have chosen to withdraw from that process, and we disagree on this interpretation. Our position is that this order does not explicitly override the District of Squamish’s authority.”
Hurford acknowledged the issue’s complexity, noting, “This was a challenging file and appears to continue to be a challenging file.”
Councillor Jenna Stoner echoed Hurford’s sentiments, expressing disappointment over the current situation. “I was looking forward to engaging in a clear process with the proponent, our community, and staff,” Stoner said. She agreed with Hurford that other mechanisms were available if the province intended to supersede the district’s authority. “An order by the Environmental Assessment Compliance and Enforcement Branch specifically is not that.”
Meanwhile, Woodfibre LNG emphasized its commitment to complying with regulatory conditions. The company received the compliance order on June 17, 2024, requiring the deployment of a floatel for non-local workforce accommodation in line with the amended Environmental Assessment Certificate.
“Compliance with all regulatory conditions is a top priority,” Woodfibre LNG stated. “The floatel, representing a $100 million investment, will support a diverse workforce and provide fully contained on-board services, ensuring the community will not be strained by a large influx of workers.”
The floatel, currently anchored near Nanaimo, is prepared to move to Howe Sound to accommodate non-local construction workers, as intended.
Jim says
What the hell now? A law suit by the Municipality. This is a lot of bs perpetrated by My Squamish. I would like to know how much potential revenue to Squamish’s coffers we are not going to realize because of this foolishness. There are approximately 300 people associated with the project currently living in Squamish, how many rapes and complaints of the villagers has been reported. Give me a break and bring on the Flotel.
Lisa Hernandez says
Squamish City Council seems to have this weird idea that the hundreds of workers on this project are going to run amok in the town, raping and plundering the womenfolk.
They think that because it’s an energy project , the workers MUST ALL BE bad people who rape , do drugs, get drunk etc.
Complete and utter BS. The workers are all family types, they are here to earn seriously good money for their FAMILIES, not go out and rape every women in site.
Disgusting attitudes from Squamish City Council.