Saanich Inlet Protection Society is holding a public information session on Friday on the proposed expansion of an aggregate quarry at Bamberton, saying it was disappointed and frustrated by a virtual information session held by the Environmental Assessment Office this month.
The society said the format offered little insight and felt like a waste of time for some of the 200 who attended.
“Over 175 questions were submitted but less than 20 were answered,” said Eric Falkenberg-Poetz, president of the society. “The lack of public consultation by the EAO is astounding.”
The society has asked the Environmental Assessment Office to conduct an environmental review of the Malahat First Nation’s proposal to expand the production and size of an existing quarry on Bamberton lands, extend its dock on the Saanich Inlet, and expand a soil-deposit site.
Maureen Alexander, a Mill Bay resident who first drew attention to the expansion plans, said the society has fielded “scores of emails from people who feel the EAO’s public engagement is a joke.”
The public forum is set for Friday from 2:30-4:30 p.m. at the Mary Winspear Centre in Sidney to allow the public to ask questions and voice concerns about the project.
The society has invited the Environmental Assessment Office, Saanich North and the Islands MLA Adam Olsen, representatives from the provincial ministries of mines and forests and the Malahat First Nation to attend the forum.
The Environmental Assessment Office has agreed to extend its public engagement period until Feb. 21. Its preliminary report recommends declining the society’s application for an environmental review of the project.
