Against Port Expansion in the Fraser Estuary BC
APE (Against Port Expansion in the Fraser Estuary BC) is a group of concerned citizens who recognize that plans for container terminal expansion on Roberts Bank (RBT2) will see the loss of globally-significant wetlands and habitat (classified as a Globally Significant Important Bird and Biodiversity Area - IBA/KBA and under threat) for migratory birds, shorebirds, waterfowl, salmon, herring, crabs and orca whales; degradation of the quality of life for thousands of Lower Mainland residents; and the industrialization of prime agricultural land.
Building Roberts Bank Terminal 2 in the Fraser Estuary means:
-
Upsetting Roberts Bank’s natural chemistry
- Destroying the unique quality of its intertidal biofilm
- Breaking the chain of the Pacific Flyway
- Destroying a key refueling stop for migratory birds
- Further declines in the western sandpiper population towards eventual species extinction
- Pushing Orca whales towards their eventual extinction
- Putting juvenile salmon at increased risk
- Further declines in commercial crabbing
- Infringing on First Nations livelihoods and cultural practices
- Increased air, noise and light pollution
- More traffic congestion caused by Port truck traffic
For What? A new $4-6 billion container terminal that can never be economically justified, because there are better cheaper alternatives to satisfy Canada’s trading needs. Demand governments stop this. Email ec.ministre-minister.ec@canada.ca and copy saynotot2@gmail.com
On April 20 2023 the federal cabinet approved RBT2, effectively signing the death certificate for the Fraser Estuary. The BC Government gave its approval on September 28 2023.
Dear Against Port Expansion Community Group Supporters and Members of the Public:
October 13, 2023
Governments Have Betrayed The Environmental Values of the Fraser Estuary
As Executive Director of Against Port Expansion Community Group I write to you, APE Supporters and Members of the Public, after reflecting on the BC Government's approval of Roberts Bank Terminal 2 (RBT2), which effectively ends attempts to stop RBT2 within the federal and provincial legislative framework established to carry out environmental assessments and make decisions. This environmentally disastrous, unnecessary and uneconomic project can still be stopped. Read the letter to find out what you can do to stop the Fraser Estuary from breaching its environmental tipping point.
Read the full letter here:
Governments_Have_Betrayed_The_Environmental_Values_of_the_Fraser_Estuary_APE_Website.pdf
Below is a summary and dateline of the RBT2 project. It was approved:
- Over a mountain of opposition;
- With political interference
- Ignoring Environment Canada scientists’ concerns
- Ignoring significant wide ranging credible research and science, much of it published in peer-reviewed science journals, demonstrating the project’s significant adverse environmental effects that cannot be mitigated.
- Ignoring the facts and evidence.
Major environmental groups, scientists expert in their field, citizen scientists, the Cities of Delta, Richmond and White Rock, MPs, members of the public rose up and voiced their opposition to RBT2. As the final phase of the environmental assessment concluded that opposition grew and grew. The politicians ignored all of that and by approving the project signed the death certificate for what little remains of the natural habitat in the Fraser Estuary and the wildlife that relies on it.
WHEN IT WAS APPROVED THESE WERE THE CABINET MINISTERS KNOWN TO HAVE SUPPORTED RBT2: MESSRS WILKINSON, ALGHABRA, SAJJAN AND CHAMPAGNE
THESE CABINET MINISTERS WERE KNOWN TO OPPOSE RBT2: GUILBEAULT, QUALTROUGH, MURRAY
BUT THEN TRUDEAU SHUFFLED HIS CABINET.
THESE ARE THE MINISTERS STILL IN CABINET. EMAIL EACH OF THEM, ASK THEM TO EXPLAIN WHY THEY IGNORED SCIENCE FACTS AND EVIDENCE AND DEMAND THEY REVIST THEIR APPROVAL
JONATHAN WILKINSON:
minister.ministre@nrcan-rncan.gc.ca
STEVEN GUILBEAULT
ec.ministre-minister.ec@canada.ca;Steven.Guilbeault@parl.gc.ca
CARLA QUALTROUGH:
info@pch.gc.ca; Carla.Qualtrough@parl.gc.ca
FRANCOIS- PHILIPPE CHAMPAGNE: francois-philippe.champagne@parl.gc.ca
TELL THEM TO HONOUR THE AGREEMENTS CANADA HAS SIGNED TO PROTECT THE ENVIRONMENT (MOST RECENTLY AT THE UN BIODIVERSITY CONFERENCE). TELL THEM TO REVERSE THE RBT2 APPROVAL.
THIS IS THE TORTUOUS PATH THAT LED TO RBT2 APPROVAL
MARCH 2023 STILL NO DECISION - AFTER EIGHT YEARS !!
- MAR. 27 2020 THE FEDERALLY-APPOINTED REVIEW PANEL PUBLISHED ITS REPORT IDENTIFIYING SIGNIFICANT ADVERSE ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS IN MANY AREAS SHOULD RBT2 BE BUILT.
- AUG. 24 2020 THE FEDERAL ENVIRONMENT MINISTER PAUSED THE DECiSiON PROCESS AND ASKED THE PORT FOR MORE INFORMATION.
- AUG. 28 2020 THE PORT SAYS IT WILL HAVE COMPLETED GATHERING THE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION PRIOR TO YEAR END
- NOV. 5 2020 THE PORT SAYS IT WILL NOT PROVIDE THE INFORMATION UNTIL SUMMER 2021.
- SEP 24 2021 PORT PROVIDED ITS RESPONSE
- DEC 15 GOVERNMENT PROVIDED A DRAFT OF POTENTIAL CONDITIONS FOR APPROVAL AND OPENED FINAL ROUND OF PUBLIC COMMENT
- MAR 15 2022 PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD CLOSED WITH THOUSANDS OF OPPOSING SUBMISSIONS
- APR 22 2022 PORT RESPONDED TO SOME OF THE OPPOSING SUBMISSIONS, BUT NOT ON THE KEY ISSUE, BIOFILM
- JUNE 10 2022 PORT RESPONDED ON THE BIOFILM ISSUE. SAME OLD FLAWED SCIENCE, PROMOTING BIOFILM REPLACEMENT WHEN INTERNATIONALLY RECOGNIZED SCIENCE SAYS THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE ON THE SCALE NECESSARY TO REPLACE WHAT WILL BE LOST
- SEPTEMBER 2022 - A WALL OF SILENCE REMAINS OVER OTTAWA ON RBT2
- OCTOBER 26 2022 - ENVIRONMENT CANADA RESPONDS TO THE VFPA WITH A DETAILED ANALYSIS DEMONSTRATING YET AGAIN THAT RBT2 WILL RESULT IN SIGNIFICANT ADVERSE ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS THAT CANNOT BE MITIGATED. ECCC SCIENTISTS STATE:
"Given the importance of the Roberts Bank site for the Western Sandpiper, the nutritional requirements for fatty acids of migrating shorebirds, and the predicted effects of the Project on biofilm quantity and quality, ECCC continues to advise that the changes predicted as a result of the Project, as currently designed, would likely constitute an unmitigable species-level risk to Western Sandpipers, and shorebirds more generally". - January 23 2023 Ottawa decides it has all the information it needs to make a decision
- Febuary 2023 - The RBT2 Decision is with the Federal Cabinet acting as Governor in Council
- April 3 2023 Still waiting for a decision from Ottawa. Three cabinent ministers are known to support it. Amazing!!!
- April 20 2023. The federal government approves terminal 2 stating
" I (Environment Minister) have determined that the Designated Project (RBT2) is likely to cause significant adverse environmental effectsreferred to in subsection 5(1) of the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, 2012.In accordance with paragraph 52(4)(a) of the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, 2012, the Governor in Council (Federal Cabinet) decided that the significant adverse environmental effects referred to in subsection 5(1) that the Designated Project is likely to cause are justified in the circumstances.
THE FIGHT IS NOT OVER
THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IGNORED ITS OWN SCIENTISTS AND THEIR CONCERNS.
WE NEED YOUR HELP. EMAIL THE PRIME MINISTER AND DEMAND HE REVERSE THIS DECISION. pm@pm.gc.ca
The govenrment has the science, facts and evidence. Its own scientists say RBT2 will result in significant adverse environmental effects that cannot be mitigated. How much more does the government need to reject this project?
KEEP THE PRESSURE ON THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
TELL THEM YOU WILL NOT ACCEPT RBT2 BEING APPROVED.
WRITE TO MINISTER GUILBEAULT. SELECT COPY & PRINT THIS
Attention Minister Steven Guilbeault:
Roberts Bank Terminal 2 (RBT2) is environmentally unsustainable.
Environment and Climate Change Canada scientists have consistently characterized the negative environmental impacts of the RBT2 project as permanent, irreversible and continuous, disrupting and eliminating quality fatty acid production from diatoms in biofilm across Roberts Bank by dampening and reducing salinity. These particular fatty acids are absolutely required by Western Sandpipers and disrupting their production may also have negative implications for salmon and crab production, as well as eulachon a major part of Indigenous heritage. Many international scientists agree, as do Birds Canada, Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network, BC Nature, Nature Canada and others.
I am opposed to RBT2 and petition you and Cabinet to reverse your approval for this project.
Date___________________________
Signed________________________Email______________________________
Name_______________________________Postal Code__________________
AND MAIL TO
Minister Steven Guilbeault POST FREE
House of Commons
Ottawa, Ontario, K1A0A6
See what others are doing to stop RBT2:
1. Fraser Delta in the International spotlight. Birdlife Interantional has joined the fight to stop RBT2.
https://www.birdlife.org/worldwide/news/waterfowl-winter-refuge-fraser-river-delta-risks-being-lost-forever?utm_source=BirdLife+International+News+Notifications&utm_campaign=a1bb67f58b-Summary_news_notification&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_4122f13b8a-a1bb67f58b-131704081&mc_cid=a1bb67f58b&mc_eid=0757e28fcf
2. In May 2022 The Garden City Conservation Society published a comprehenisive analysis of all that is wrong with the RBT2 project, under the title Stop RBT2 - To Enable Success, and sent it to the federal Environment Minister and the Cabinet
stoprbt2_enablesuccess_gccs_0.pdf
3. A video by Ranincoast Conservation
https://youtu.be/HkKLY3P2_ys
4. Natural Legacies versus Waste
5. Fraser Voices
6. Georgia Strait Alliance
https://georgiastrait.org/work/species-at-risk/proposed-terminal-2-deltaport-expansion-2/
Salish Current - Roberts Bank Terminal 2 Article
Read the Nov. 20 community voices article in the Salish Current
And then send it to your contacts!
Critical Mistakes made by Federal and BC Governments in approving Roberts Bank Terminal 2
It is hard to believe the many failures made by the Federal and BC Governments in approving Roberts Bank Terminal 2.
RBT2_NOT_Justified_and_the_Damage_It_Will_Do.pdf
Here is a list of fundamental errors made in approving this disastrous project:
1. Ignored the science and concerns from its own government scientists.
2. Understated the negative impacts on intertidal biofilm and ignored altogether the scientifically proven salinity trigger that causes diatoms in biofilm to become rich in omega 3 and fatty acids.
3. Ignored the warnings of potential population declines for iconic migratory bird populations, especially the Western Sandpiper, perhaps towards species extinction.
4. Failed to understand that the significant adverse environmental effects will lead to further declines in already endangered Southern Resident Killer Whales, potentially towards extinction.
5. Ignored the fact that the man made island negatively impacts crabs as well as juvenile salmon transitioning from river to ocean.
6. Ignored the negative impacts to First Nations cultural and fishing practises.
7. Approved mitigation measures aimed at recreating biofilm that is lost due to the man-made island, even though government scientists have proven it is impossible to recreate biofilm on the scale necessary to replace that which will be lost.
8. Misread, or ignored altogether, weaknesses in the overall container trade picture and its future growth on the Canadian West Coast.
9. Failed to recognize that the cost of building RBT2 - estimated at $3.5 billion but likely to increase to between $4-6 billion by the time it is completed - makes it the most expensive greenfield port development anywhere in the world and likely economically unsustainable.
10. Refused to acknowledge there are more sustainable, less environmentally damaging, less expensive alternatives that are capable of delivering all the additional container terminal capacity Canada needs within the same time frame as RBT2.
The inescapable conclusions to be drawn include:
From and environmental perspective:
Canadian government scientists portray RBT2’s adverse environmental effects on intertidal biofilm as immediate, permanent, continuous, irreversible and unable to be mitigated. The RBT2 approval will result in the upset of the natural chemistry over Roberts Bank and the quality of its unique intertidal biofilm will be inexorably destroyed.
This will have devastating consequences, resulting in a cascading failure of the estuarine ecosystem, up to and including commercial crab and salmon species, eulachon, already endangered southern resident killer whales, as well as migratory and other shorebirds.
This catastrophe has all along been the major concern for government scientists as well as many independent scientists expert in their field.
From and economic and trade perspective:
The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority is pushing ahead with RBT2 despite Vancouver’s declining container volumes. Total container traffic was down by more than three percent in 2022 versus 2021. Worse yet 2022 full container loads were down by nine percent compared to 2021. In fact there were fewer loaded containers handled by the Port in 2022 than in every year all the way back to 2013.
That dismal picture continues in 2023. Total container volumes for the nine months to September 2023 are off by over 17 percent, with full imports falling by 19 percent compared to the same period in 2022. Major shipping lines are laying off staff and forecasting significant drops in container volumes.
The Port of Vancouver is losing US container traffic (as much as 25 percent of its total volumes). More and more US containers are going by the all water route direct to US Gulf and East Coast ports. That trend will continue because it is cheaper and faster for shipping companies to get their goods to market. This is a fundamental and permanent change.
Better container terminal expansion alternatives:
The Deltaport Berth 4 and Prince Rupert container terminal expansions can deliver much more terminal capacity than RBT2 within the same time frame, privately funded, at less cost and without the significant adverse environmental effects.
Governments Have Betrayed The Environmental Values of the Fraser Estuary
Dear Against Port Expansion Community Group Supporters and Members of the Public:
October 13, 2023
Governments Have Betrayed The Environmental Values of the Fraser Estuary
As Executive Director of Against Port Expansion Community Group I write to you, APE Supporters and Members of the Public after reflecting on Victoria’s approval of Roberts Bank Terminal 2 (RBT2), which effectively ends attempts to stop RBT2 within the federal and provincial legislative framework established to carry out environmental assessments and make decisions.
Read the full letter here:
Governments_Have_Betrayed_The_Environmental_Values_of_the_Fraser_Estuary_APE_Website.pdf
Is the Federal Government serious about implementing the Roberts Bank Terminal 2 Conditions for Approval
Is the Federal Government serious about implementing the Roberts Bank
Terminal 2 Conditions for Approval
By Roger Emsley Executive Director Against Port Expansion Community Group
August 31 2023
The July 11 article in Business in Vancouver https://biv.com/article/2023/07/does-port-vancouvers-35-billion-terminal-2-have-plankton-problem identifies a meaningful and important condition of approval that the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority may find difficult to meet in its quest to build Roberts Bank Terminal 2 (RBT2). However, the big question remains: is the Federal Government serious about implementing the Roberts Bank Terminal 2 Conditions for Approval? Not so much, it seems, from the latest two postings on the Impact Assessment Agency’s public website.
https://iaac-aeic.gc.ca/050/evaluations/document/152826
Of all the 370 conditions of approval there is one that could prevent RBT2 being built. Condition 10.4 requires the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada to establish an independent scientific body whose role is to monitor potential adverse environmental effects on biofilm resulting from salinity changes caused by the RBT2 project. If baseline thresholds are exceeded during monitoring for at least 36 months after Terminal 2’s east basin containment dyke is built, three mitigation options kick in: biofilm creation, infrastructure redesign or infrastructure removal.
But what exactly is an independent scientific body? To be truly independent Canadians expect this expert body to be independent of both the Port of Vancouver and of the federal government. However if Canadians are expecting a truly independent scientific body that is not going to happen.
It turns out that the federal government’s Chief Science Advisor will lead the independent body. How arms length is the Chief Scientific Advisor from the RBT2 issue? Not at all. That position reports to the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, François-Philippe Champagne. He is one of the ministers in Cabinet who supported RBT2. So not independent!
If the Chief Scientific Advisor and the team created to carry out the work find the project has compromised the biofilm, such that it exceeds the baseline thresholds, what then? Which of the three mitigation options will kick in? Will the Minister to whom the advisor reports opt for redesign or infrastructure removal given he supported the RBT2 approval? Unlikely.
Although biofilm creation will most likely be the chosen option, both government scientists and truly independent experts in wetlands and wetlands technology agree that there is no area large enough to compensate for the quality and quantity of biofilm in the Fraser River Estuary and Delta that would be destroyed by RBT2. Further, any biofilm creation program will undoubtedly be doomed as no one has ever re-established quality functioning biofilm.
If the independent scientific body were truly independent, rather than reporting to one of the key ministers who supports RBT2, this 10.4 condition for approval would have posed a meaningful trigger as to whether RBT2 is built. But as it is now the Port of Vancouver will look for a work around, trying in vain to recreate the biofilm that will have been lost such that the project can continue.
Ultimately, RBT2 will upset the natural chemistry over Roberts Bank and the quality of the intertidal biofilm will be inexorably wrecked. This will have devastating consequences resulting in a cascading failure of the estuarine ecosystem, up to and including commercial crab and salmon species, southern resident killer whales as well as migratory and other shorebirds. This catastrophe has all along been the major concern for government scientists as well as many independent scientists expert in their field.
There is one final irony in the appointment of the Chief Science Advisor to head up the independent scientific body. The mandate for this role includes “providing advice on creating process to ensure that scientific analyses are considered when the Government makes decisions”. Yet the government ignored its own scientists when it approved RBT2!
If the federal government is serious about environmental protection and if its conditions for RBT2 approval are to have any meaning at all, then this independent scientific body must be truly independent - not reporting to one of the RBT2 supporters in government.
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