Public Coal Meeting coming to Port Alberni

Just want to give people a quick update.

AVTTS has met with the City this week and they’ve agreed to help us set up a public meeting *before* the official public consultation by the environmental assessment office and before the City and other stakeholders start their consultations as part of the working group advising the proponents proposal.

We are now in the process of gathering the various stakeholders and nailing down a time but it will likely be early June at Echo.

One key criteria both the AVTTS and the City agreed upon was that guidelines for the meeting and facilitation need to be strong and maintained to ensure a safe place for all to speak.

There is plenty of passion around this topic so in order for all the facts to come out and for everyone for and against to be given a chance to speak, the meeting will be moderated likely similar to the all-candidates meetings during election campaigns.

Letter re: Blue Gold

This is what I sent to the Times and the News today:

Dear AV Times/News folks, (Times to the Times, News to the News, naturally)

I wonder if you would be so kind as to publish this notice for us. Any help in advancing this important discussion in most appreciated.

Regards,

Dan Schubart

250 723 8282

Recent events in the Alberni Valley have highlighted issues surrounding our supply of water, primarily for household use, but with agriculture, industry and fisheries concerns lurking close to the surface. Much of the concern with regard to drinking water has been occasioned by the Health Authority’s new 4-3-2-1 standards for turbidity, but there are also concerns about the supply and about the delivery to all stakeholders, and these are concerns that are worldwide in scope, so while our solutions must be local, at least in part, there is a need for an overall perspective on water. As part of the attempt to keep the focus on water as part of the general discussion of local community and our evolving economy, the Alberni Valley Transition Towns group is hosting a screening of the film Blue Gold: World Water Wars at Abbeyfield Care Home in the basement meeting room at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, May 12. Our presentation is also being held to promote a conference being held at Vancouver Island University on May 29-30, entitled Your Water, Your Future. More information about the conference is available at: (http://solutions.viu.ca/events/conference-your-water-your-future). Admission to the film at Abbeyfield is free, though anyone wishing to make a donation to help subsidize the costs of the presentation will be able to do so at the presentation. More information about the film (including trailers) can be found at: (http://www.bluegold-worldwaterwars.com/). Contact AV Transitions through the web site at: (http://patransitions.ning.com/), or phone 250 723 8282.