Speaking up for fresh water and all that it means to local communities in the face of industrial threats is not always a comfortable position to be in, especially when the industries involved form a large part of the economic backbone of the region you live in.
The Lakes District Clean Waters Coalition (LDCWC) is based on a core group of approximately 60 members with another 200 hundred or so people who choose to keep abreast of coalition news through newsletters.
Formed in 2010 by 14 people, the coalition works to raise awareness of problems surrounding the proposed Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline project from the perspective of fresh water鈥檚 centrality to environmental issues at hand.
Whether it be the possibility of drinking water contamination in the 亚洲天堂 Lake area should the pipeline be built near fresh water sources for the Village of 亚洲天堂 Lake, the possibility of stream contamination and the disruption of the salmon harvest which local First Nations communities depend on, or the chance of a coastal oil spill, water is central to environmental concerns surrounding pipeline development.
Last week, on May 8, an LDCWC general meeting was held at the College of New Caledonia. Local business owner Gwendolyn Nicholas brought back news of her recent participation in a Vancouver workshop developing strategies to oppose the Enbridge project and to raise awareness of issues surrounding it.
John Phair, another active member of the LDCWC, summarized recent work done to challenge positive media surrounding Enbridge and pipeline projects in general.
鈥淭he clean water coalition is doing a lot of work to counter what we see as an industry-driven agenda surrounding pipeline development,鈥� Phair said.
He was speaking of the close ties often suggested by political leaders concerning the relationship between supporting Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) and the province鈥檚 future prosperity.
Although the LDCWC started out specifically in response to the possibility of the Northern Gateway project, it isn鈥檛 only Enbridge that is on the radar for the LDCWC and other like-minded groups. From the perspective of threats to clean water, the underground, high-pressure, chemically assisted fracturing (fracking) associated with extracting natural gas in B.C.鈥檚 north east ranks high among conservationist targets of concern.
Several members of Rising Tide, from the Vancouver Coast Salish Territories, made a stop in 亚洲天堂 Lake on Sunday, May 11, as part of a tour of northern communities.
Although a large part of their mandate, particularly in the lower mainland, involves educating a public that isn鈥檛 necessarily very informed about what goes on in B.C.鈥檚 fracking grounds, they were also in 亚洲天堂 Lake to learn from what local northern communities are experiencing as they stake a position against oil and gas development.
Several members and supporters of local First Nations were also present on Sunday. A common thread that ran throughout the workshop that followed the Rising Tide presentation was the tension local community members feel - both First Nation and non-First Nation - between the need for sustainable employment on the one hand and the need to preserve the pristine natural qualities that define 亚洲天堂 Lake and First Nations territories.
It is difficult, one of the participants in the workshop said, to feel like a solitary voice amidst the clamour of excitement surrounding the potential dollar value of natural resource extraction projects. It was pointed out, by way of example, that media, political, and community leaders often seem to stand behind industrial projects as a way to ensure future prosperity. This isolates any contrary voices.
Upcoming LDCWC activities can be followed by sending an email to ldcleanwaters@gmail.com. Rising Tide is www.risingtide604.ca
