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LETTER: Pemberton area port changes raise concerns

Dear Editor: Residents, take notice! Not many of you will have seen an innocuous notice inviting public input for the Fibreco Terminal Enhancement Project.

Dear Editor:

Residents, take notice! Not many of you will have seen an innocuous notice inviting public input for the Fibreco Terminal Enhancement Project. Fibreco, at the foot of Pemberton Avenue, is applying to the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority to change the use for two-thirds of the site from handling wood chips to handling wheat, peas and lentils for the international market.

This will mean an increased number of trains going to the site.

Right now, train traffic to the Pemberton area comes mainly from the west, and train traffic to the Lynnmour area is mainly from the east so that not too many trains travel through North Vancouver along the single track at the foot of Chesterfield. This will change, as wheat etc. will come from the Prairies (from the east).

Yes, the rail lines were there before the growth of North Vancouver but not a port.

Meanwhile, I attended the open house for this application and found, as usual where the port lands are concerned, there were no representatives from two very important players: CN Rail, which is responsible for controlling noise and potential hazards from train traffic, and Metro Vancouver, which controls air quality. The port authority pays lip service, pretending they care about the local community; whereas, in fact, it’s all about money. Also where were the municipal hall staff?

Yes, this project only requires a permit from the District of North Vancouver but mega projects like this one must be considered by both municipalities if the interests of the residents are to be protected as much as possible. Mega projects cannot be considered in isolation but as they affect the whole area, including effects on quality of life – noise, pollution, visual impact, increased road traffic and increased ship traffic.  

The city and the district are positively encouraging developers to forge ahead with hundreds of new housing units. Isn’t the impact of a mega port on our doorstep a contradiction?

The port authority is a senior level of government and takes very little notice of municipalities or Metro Vancouver. Nor do they care about or control the type of fuel used by ships in the harbour, which is crucial to our air quality.

Remember what a long battle we had before the trains eventually stopped whistling as they passed. Remember the visual and noise impacts of the additional grain silos on the Low Road.  

City and district staff should put the interests of residents first and not just consider tax revenue when reviewing projects like this one. Fight to have the port add conditions to this permit regarding numbers and scheduling of trains, noise impacts and controls for better air quality.

Claude Esposito
North Vancouver

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