November 17, 2010
The Mayor and Council
City of Courtenay

RE: THE REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GASES IN COURTENY (BYLAW 2638)

The planning staff of the City of Courtenay has provided us as with an excellent—I would say an enlightened—document. We fully support the recommendations they have made.

Our concerns are with what the document doesn’t say, what it does not take into account, especially as we look into the future over the next twenty years.

As we all know, global warming and the related problem of air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions are not just a local issues. They are a provincial, national and global issue. The city cannot throw up walls to keep out the smoke that flows over from forest fires on the mainland; nor can it put up sea walls to protect itself from rising tides resulting from melting icebergs in the Arctic. So a city must address realities within its boundaries and outside its boundaries at the same time.

In terms of reducing carbon emissions, two questions arise:
1. Are there any political decisions the city has made that will work against the greenhouse reduction recommendations in Bylaw 2638?
2. Are there any harmful developments outside municipal boundaries that the city can influence?

As to political decisions, the one that sticks out like a sore thumb is the decision to support the Settlement Expansion Areas(SEAs).

When the SEAs first showed up in the proposed Regional Growth Strategy we were surprised. There had been no mention of them in the public meetings. Now we have learned they emerged from the time, a few years ago, when the municipal bodies got together and developed the Blue-green Map. It is on the Courtenay website and indicates rural areas the municipalities are intending to expand into or, as some would say, encroach upon.
The major cause of greenhouse gases—I understand it is about 66%--is from cars and trucks. We believe The SEAs will cause urban sprawl and significantly increase the need for more cars and trucks.

Given their size and potential damage, the SEAs will be act like a computer virus. They will attack, infect and wipe out all your other efforts to reduce emissions. Compared to this reality the debate at the last council meeting about whether the target for emissions in 2020 should be 20% or 33% is small potatoes. If you adopt the SEAs, in 2020 there will be a significant increase in green house gases. So if you think you can implement the recommendations of Bylaw 2638 and, at the same time continue to promote the SEAs, well...to quote Clint Eastwood in the movie The Outlaw Josie Wales... you are “Just Whistling Dixie.”

Our Advice: Give you talented staff the challenge of planning for development over the next 20 years without the SEAs—and have them integrate this bylaw into the larger development plan.

In terms of the second question about harmful developments outside the municipal boundaries, think Raven Coal Mine in Fanny Bay. Think of the proposed Bear Mine—a surface strip mine between Fanny Bay and Cumberland. Think also of our prevailing south east winds.

Even though you know that the development of coal mines in the Comox Valley is the single greatest concern of a majority of citizens, you have been told by the provincial government to Butt Out. This is a provincial responsibility and none of your business. I’d respectfully suggest that you Butt Back In. Anything that can increase the amount of greenhouse gases in Courtenay and, at the same time, wreck your local tourist economy, damage your environment, and reduce the liveability of life in the city is your business.

As a council you receive your legal authority from the provincial government under the Local Government Act. But you receive your power to rule from the citizens who elect you. For that matter, so does the provincial government, which seems to be quite worried about this reality at the present time.
Now is the time to take the lead and tell the provincial government that you are rejecting the development of coal mines in the Comox Valley. Why? Because your new slogan: Come to the City of Courtenay: The Heart of our Very Own Appalachia will scare people away. What is good for the shareholders of Compliance Energy is bad for the people of this valley. It’s a no brainer.

Finally, as the largest municipal body in the valley concerned about green house gases, there is one more thing you can do. You can convince the other municipalities and the CVRD that if everyone in the valley follows your lead, everybody and the environment will be a winner. Say to them. “We are rejecting the SEAs in favour of more sensible approaches. We are telling the provincial government, in no uncertain terms, that we are rejecting the development of coal mines in the Comox Valley. We are introducing some excellent procedures to reduce greenhouse gases that will protect our valley’s environment and make life more liveable. We invite you to join with us so we can do this together.”

Thank You.

Mike Bell, Chairperson
Sierra Club Comox Valley