Waste and landfill issues will be on the table May 13 at a discussion being held at Northwest Community College (NWCC).
The discussion comes in the wake of the proposed Forceman Ridge Landfill to be built halfway between Terrace and Kitimat by 2015.
This new facility would see the closure of both the Thornhill and Terrace landfills.
The province has warned the two existing landfills are over capacity and do not meet environmental standards, saying the Kitimat-Stikine regional district, along with the City of Terrace, must either upgrade the existing landfills or build a new one.
However, with the upcoming panel discussion, Weary hopes to address issues such as waste diversion, recycling, and environmental impact, particularly on the local watersheds.
“There’s a group opposed to the location,” Weary said.
“Quite a few people are concerned with Onion Lake and Clear Water Lake flowing into Lakelse Lake’s watershed.”
The panel will feature four specialists from science and social science backgrounds to debate ideas in an academic and open-discussion based format.
According to Weary, this is an opportunity for the community to look at waste differently.
Panel members include: Dr. Alex Lautensach, an environmental ethics professor and researcher at UNBC; Dr. Catherine White, a biologist and ecologist at NWCC; Roger Tooms, manager of works and services at the regional district; and Ian Maxwell, a retired structural engineer.
The discussion will take place from 7-9 p.m. in Room 2001 at the NWCC in Terrace.
The first 45 minutes will see the panelists debating a set of pre-determined questions.
The next 45 minutes will be for open questions from the audience, while the last 30 minutes will be open discussion.
