y Laura Pottie

ind Regulations.

*s Ministry of Environment pub-
shes the list semi-annually, with
he intention of embarrassing corpo-
ations who are not meeting envi-
onmental regulations standards into
hanging their practices. Some of
me organizations have shown up
ver and over again.

~ Nearly half the corporations on
Ihe list have been. there before. For
nstance, Richmond Plywood Cor-
boration’s emissions have granted
hem a spot on the list four times,
while Lafarge Canada’s cement
plant has exceeded permit limits for
hitrous oxide emissions, (a cause of
blobal warming) often enough to
make them a three time offender.
In the Greater Vancouver Sew-
ge and Drainage District, the
Annacis Island and Lulu Island sew-

   
  
 
  
  
  
   
  
   
    
  
 
 
 
     
 
  
   

by Samer Muscati

YTTAWA (CUP) — The Pacific fish-
is on the brink of collapse, accord-
kao to a study released in February by
fhe David Suzuki Foundation.

“The Pacific fishery will go the
ame way as Canada’s Atlantic fishery
hnless sweeping changes are made to
sheries’ management and harvesting
methods,” says Carl Walters, fisheries
piologist and author of the report.

ajor fish stocks throughout British
olumbia are in serious decline and
abitat destruction threatens freshwa-
er fisheries production across the prov-
ince, states the environment group’s
Study.

Another serious problem accord-
ing to the study is that gene pools of
iB.C.’s fish stocks are shrinking, result-
ng in severe loss of biodiversity. As fish
species lose their genetic variation, they
become more vulnerable to environ-
mental changes.

Compounding the problem are
hatchery programs that produce vast
numbers of genetically similar fish.

And the news just got worse. The
Department of Fisheries and Oceans
(DFO) — responsible for conserving
and protecting the fishery resource base
— will lose $211 million worth of
spending over the next three years due
to the federal budget plan.

The current cuts do not sit well
with environment groups, who feel that
the department is already under-staffed
and under-resourced. They say this will
accelerate the Pacific fishery’s demise.

 

For the ninth time, the GVRD finds itself on
lhe Significant Non-Compliance Evaluation of
Waste Management Permits, Approvals, Orders

age treatment facilities have shown
up on the list for the ninth and sevy-
enth times respectively. Annacis Is-
land exceeded permit limits for ef-
fluent toxicity six out of six times
tested; iron, four out of six times;
oil and grease, three out of six times
and biochemical oxygen demand

The Other Press

can inhibit the growth of various
aquatic organisms which increases
the possibility of fish deaths through
suffocation or starvation.

The second stage of the prov-
ince’s liquid waste management plan
calls for upgrading both Annacis
and Lulu Island’s facilities to what
is termed “Secondary Treatment.”
This will remove more, but not all,
of the toxins from the sludge and
effluent.

The GVRD has requested an ex-

~ tension to the December 31,1997

completion date ordered by the Min-
ister of Environment. The upgrad-
ing plan is estimated to cost ap-
proximately

 

(BOD), 90 per-

 

cent of the report Lulu Island exceeded ee
period. Lulu Is- permit limits in BOD for ee
land exceeded 34 percent of the repo : ise.
permit limits in i &
riod. 2
BOD for 34 per- pe cess of gov
ernment lim-
cent of the re- c

porting period.

Biochemical Oxygen Demand
is the amount of oxygen removed
from the water (in this, case the
Fraser River) by a chemical or or-
ganic substance introduced. BOD

“There are a lot of good people
who are working for the DFO who want
to do a good job, but have their hands
tied from limited resources,” says
Catherine Steward, fisheries and oceans
campaigner for Greenpeace.

Former MP Jim Fulton, and execu-
tive director of the foundation, says,
“The department of fisheries is in in-
ternal chaos. Many of the decisions are
made in Ottawa by people who don’t
know anything about the situation over
here.”

What are we supposed to do
with this information? Well, efflu-
ent toxicity is a two part problem.

First, the methods currently
used for treating sewage are inad-
equate to handle the volume and

Bud Graham, director of the
DFO’s Fisheries Management, ac-
knowledges that tough times lie ahead
for Pacific fisheries, but remains posi-

 

“The department of
fisheries is in internal
chaos..."

 

tive.

“There are no simple solutions,”
Graham says. “The department has
taken action and is going to continue to

VRD wallows in toxic soup again this year

BC's tenth environment non-compliance list released

~ for me!

Ms. Greenjeans Says:

- Got a clogged drain? No problem! Pour 2 table-
spoons of baking soda into the drain, then add 2
tablespoons of vinegar. Plug the drain to keep the
foam in; wait a minute; then pour ina kettle of hot
water. Repeat this twice. If it's still clogged, use a
toilet plunger to loosen up the last little bit. Worked

 

 

types of chemicals entering the system,
which leads us to the second part of the
problem. Every day we pour toxic sub-
stances down our drains and it’s not
going into the great blue yonder, it’s
going into the Fraser River.
Dishwashing detergent, left-over
paint, Drano, shampoos, laundry deter-
gent, tampons and condoms, can con-
tain substances which are extremely
harmful to our waters. There are alter-
natives however. Many stores now carry
vegetable-based detergents and clean-
ing products of all types which do not
pollute when they go down the drain.
If the store you like to shop at doesn’t

Pacific fisheries in jeopardy after budget cuts to ministry
Ottawa draining one of BC's largest industries

take action on the [study’s] concerns.”

The fishing industry is one of
B.C.’s largest industries and employs

15,000 people.

Greenpeace’s Stewart says there is
still time to save the industry, but dras-
tic measures have to be taken now.

“The only solution is having all the
parties working together for a common
solution,” he says.

The report is the first in a series of
three that will be published by the
Suzuki foundation.

carry them, ask the manger why and tell
him/her you would buy such products
if they were carried.

Paint can be recycled in any one
of a number of ways; for more infor-
mation on any type of recycling, you
can call the REC-YCLE hotline.

The best way to determine if
something should go down your drain
is to look at the label. Will it kill you if
you drink it? If it will, then chances are,
it will kill something else too.

 

Enviro - writers

Needed!

The Other Press is opening an
environmental journalism and
opionions section, and is cur-
rently seeking submissions on
environmental topics.

Please submit any material to
The Other Press, room 1020,
ATTN: Niki or Laura. Thank
You!

 

 

 

 

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