News
Opponents of the Provincial Government’s handling of the issue of gravel extraction and encroachment on agricultural lands in the Fraser Valley and in areas across the Lower Mainland and the rest of BC are planning a rally in Peachland September 11 leaving Chilliwack at 7:30 a.m
Dear Friends,
A Peachland Rally has been planned for September 11, 2010. For those of you who want to travel caravan style, we will meet at Chilliwack’s Cottonwood Mall parking lot @ 7:30am (see details below). On arrival at 12:00pm, we’ll all meet at the Peachland’s Cenotaph Park (see details below).
Why Go?: We want to support the community of Peachland and to say “Thanks”.
Peachland has a Land Use Bylaw which gives them control over where gravel mines can and cannot operate. But the Ministry of Mines permitted a gravel mine anyway and thereby disregarded that bylaw.
The gravel miner began operations in defiance of the Bylaw. Peachland issued a “Stop Work Order” and then began the process of getting a court injunction. The operator has since agreed to cease operations until a judicial review of the district's soil removal bylaw has been completed. We support local control of gravel mining in all BC communities.
The significance of Peachland’s Bylaw is the fact that many communities cannot control where gravel mines locate because they do not have a control Bylaw. Of those that do, many refuse to enforce them (like Abbotsford, FVRD, Lake Errock et al). We are going to Peachland to thank them for standing up for their rights.
Representatives from numerous BC communities will be at this important rally. Time to meet, talk, share and plan strategies. Time to eat a peach on the beach!
Departure Location: For those of you who would like to travel caravan style, we will rally at 7:30am SHARP, at the Cottonwood Mall parking lot in Chilliwack just off Highway #1
Directions to Cottonwood Parking Lot: Head East on Highway #1, take the Vedder exit, turn right toward Sardis, turn right again on Luckakuck Way, turn right at third driveway into Mall parking lot.
Distance: Approximately 289 km from Abbotsford to Peachland
Travel Time: 3.5 hours
We’ll all meet at Peachland’s Cenotaph Park (see picture left) at waterfront across from 2nd St and Beach Ave., Peachland, @ 12:00pm (Noon).
What to Bring:
- Bring a hand crafted or computer designed sign (can be as big as you like) which says something like:
“Thank you Peachland. from [Your Town’s Name Here]”
- Post some signage on car windows, and possibly others as hand held signs, or shirts? etc
See you soon.
Glen Thompson from Friends of the Chilliwack River Valley (phone: 604-847-3732)
Walter Neufeld from Abbotsford, BC (phone: 604-308-5530)
[blockquote]To Randy Hawes, MP Abbotsford-Mission and Minister of State for Mining:
Late last month you expressed your commitment to support bylaws that would provide B.C. communities with better local control over gravel mining permits when you stated that: “Local governments also have the ability to regulate aggregate operations on private land through the use of soil removal and deposit bylaws.” (email from Honourable Randy Hawes to a critic of aggregate pilot project, June 29, 2010.
Recently Peachland’s council voted to seek an injunction to stop a gravel pit within its jurisdiction because it had been operating in non-compliance with Peachland’s local bylaws.
The critical questions are: Will you support Peachland’s bylaw? Will you send a goodwill signal to Peachland, and other B.C. communities harmed by the current Mines Act permitting process, by recalling the gravel mining permit issued last year?
Walter Neufeld, Peachland
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