Port Metro Vancouver, a full three months after Dr. Paul Van Buynder of the Fraser Health Authority called for a full health impact assessment of the proposed new coal terminal at Fraser Surrey Docks, now tries a bait-and-switch tactic.
Rather than comply with the good doctor and his cohorts, including chief provincial medical health officer Perry Kendall, the port claims it will go one better.
Forget about the health impact assessment, it will complete an environmental assessment.
Sounds great, right? What could be better?
Well, for starters, it could complete the full health impact assessment Van Buynder called for, which would be a full assessment of the health impacts – not limited to the dock area, but a review that would provide assurance of health and ecological balance, studied in a comprehensive, independent, and transparent manner.
Fraser Surrey Docks is even in charge of who shall do the review.
This is just another example of the fox being inside the chicken coop.
That approach only leads to dead chickens and, in this case, a suspecting public, replete with over 24,000 in petition signatures of concern over this proposal, becoming even more suspicious.
And who can blame them?
Steven Faraher-Amidon, Surrey
