Turn Queens Bay beach into regional park, residents say.
To everyone looking at the information the government is giving us regarding the cost/benefits of moving the ferry. Perhaps on the surface it looks like the numbers and fuel savings long term would add up to benefits for tax payers, true, on the surface it may appear this way.
Please consider this.
If they move the Balfour ferry this will open the door for them to dredge Grohman Narrows — a much bigger impact than dredging a small section of the west arm at Balfour every 40-50 years. (They currently dredge the Fraser River for the ferries there every single year, not saying this is a good thing, just saying). The USA has been hounding our government bodies for years to send greater water flow down the river to the US dams south of us. Keeping the ferry in it’s current location is one of the factors preventing the USA from getting what they want. If they move the ferry they will be able to increase the flow rate in the arm and lower the lake levels — and just in time for the re-negotiations of the Columbia Basin Treaty. How convenient. The ferry landing/route as is would not be able to handle the lower water levels and faster flow.
If you are concerned at all about economic and environmental impact you will dive much deeper into what is influencing the ferry move than what the government and the corruption riddled company (SNC Lavalin) that did the report for them are telling us.
This is NOT just an issue for Balfour and Queen’s Bay folks, this is a major concern for all the people who live and work near Kootenay Lake, the West Arm, Nelson and south.
People of Nelson: Please voice your concerns to government officials as well — this is your issue too!
Jenny Hide, Queens Bay
