Clean air a right
In October 2015, City of Powell River council approved a declaration of the right to a healthy environment, which stated the well-being of a community is directly connected to the health of its surrounding environment [“Wastewater plant concerns neighbourhood group,” January 24].
Successful businesses and projects calculate risks and understand their downside. The proposed plant for Powell River is a 1970s design. How long will it take council to mitigate odours that will occur here?
All sewage plants have odour, whether they are state of the art, a door being opened or trucks carting the sludge out. How can you mitigate weather so the residents can always breathe clean air?
Ministry of Environment in Saskatchewan and City of Ottawa mitigate their risks of odour by creating buffer zones of 200 to 300 metres from the nearest residence to their liquid wastewater treatment plants, regardless of pressure from outside sources, including developers.
When discussing the liquid wastewater treatment plant, I have heard City of Powell River council members and some residents say, “It has to go somewhere.” That's not good enough.
Let us pause and consider the implications of that phrase. Is it scientific? Is the declaration of the right to a healthy environment considered when that phrase is being used?
We want to hear: It has to go somewhere away from people and neighbourhoods because look what it will do to a neighbourhood.
All residents have the right to a healthy environment.
Stephanie Miller
Laburnum Avenue
Site C good to go
The viewpoint article [“Site C has no benefit,” January 21] was very disparaging toward the Site C Dam project.
I do not have detailed knowledge or understanding of all technical and financial ramifications of the project. I believe most, if not all, elected politicians also have very limited knowledge of project details and rely on bureaucrats to provide a summary of the salient points.
Bureaucrats, in turn, have contracted engineering and accounting firms to conduct a detailed design and analysis. BC residents can take some comfort in the fact that the bureaucrats have convinced all political parties to support continuation of the Site C project, notwithstanding various platitudes from the NDP and BC Greens coalition that they did not want to, but felt the best outcome would be to support continuation of the project.
Paul McMahon
Invermere Court
Job well done
All good organizations start with character and consistency at the top. Over time, that filters down through the organization to create a culture and program everyone can be proud of.
Good leaders of good organizations understand that in certain scenarios they will have to put their pettiness and egos aside for the good of the organization and the people involved, simply because this is the right thing to do.
After two and half decades, Kent Lewis should have been able to leave on his own terms at the end of this season ["Powell River Kings fire coach and GM Kent Lewis," January 31]. He should have been given the opportunity to leave with all the applause and accolades that he deserves.
Now that the character and consistency has left the building, the culture certainly will follow shortly.
Good luck, Kent!
Micah Aivazoff
Former NHL player, Southview Road
