District of Squamish invites community to Speak; Listen; Learn on Woodfibre LNG and Fortis Pipeline projects

The District of Squamish has announced a focused community engagement process to inform Council of the community’s opinions and values on the Woodfibre Liquefied Natural Gas and Fortis Pipeline projects. The engagement will run March 9 to 23, 2015 and will include a confidential online questionnaire, an online PlaceSpeak discussion forum, and a public dialogue meeting on March 18. Links and information are available at www.squamish.ca/LNG 

“Council needs the community to provide input to us on these projects, and to do so over the next two weeks, feeding into Council discussions before we submit our official response to the Environmental Assessment Office,” says District of Squamish Mayor Patricia Heintzman. “I cannot stress enough how important the public’s input is to our due diligence process on these projects.”

Council’s official submission will be provided to the Environmental Assessment Office (EAO) by the end of April. Input gained on both critical issues and community values will complement the District’s Community Committee work on the technical aspects of the project. The consultation will focus in on Squamish community members including those who live, work or own businesses here.

“We know that everyone has an opinion and we want to give everyone a chance to be heard,” continues Heintzman. “The community is being asked to do three things: Speak; Listen; and Learn.”

There are 3 ways to SPEAK and provide input between March 9^th and 23rd. The first way is a private questionnaire. The second is through an online PlaceSpeak discussion, asking for comments on some critical questions. The third will be through a dialogue-based community meeting, to be held Wednesday, March 18^th from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at the Sea to Sky Hotel.

Besides speaking out, community members are also asked to LISTEN when taking part. “We ask people to remember that we are all friends and neighbours who all want the best for Squamish, and so we need to listen to one another respectfully,” stresses Heintzman.

The final aspect is the need to LEARN from these discussions. “What can we learn about the issues, the options, our values and what success looks like? How can we help ensure the best possible outcome for Squamish?” Heintzman continues.

Community engagement expert Modus Planning Design & Engagement Inc. is supporting this consultation through the design and execution of the program to ensure that the various forums deliver high quality input to the District while allowing for a robust but civil exchange of views.

The costs of the engagement program will be billed back to the project proponents by the District. This is common practice when a municipality conducts consultation on behalf of a proponent’s project to ensure that taxpayers are not required to fund such efforts. The consultation is being wholly directed by the District to meet the needs of Council through engagement of the community.

For more information and to get involved, visit www.squamish.ca/LNG  

Residents outside Squamish boundaries with interests in this topic are encouraged to submit their comments directly to the Environmental Assessment Office, or to their own Councils or District of Squamish Council.

March 6, 2015