A flyer arrived in my mailbox yesterday sent out by Tr’ondek Hwech’in urging citizens to vote ‘Yes’ in Thursday’s referendum to stop construction of our wastewater lagoon.
Six reasons for voting ‘yes’ are given. They are listed below where I have commented on each one.
TH says… It will compel YTG and the City of Dawson to find a better location for the lagoon.
If people believe that a denial of lagoon construction on the disputed location will happily and quickly result in a ‘better location’, they are dreaming in Technicolor. I wish it were that simple and just a choice between two locations with a happy ending. It seems no one is going out of their way to acknowledge the two other very important players in this ‘game’ – the Territorial Court of Yukon and the prosecution, Environment Canada.
Like it or not, Dawson is compelled to respond to a court order handed down by Judge Lilles. Why are some people so convinced that the Judge is willing to go against his own court order and Environment Canada as well as other testimony to suddenly endorse the ‘better location’? I worry that too many people have a cavalier and dismissive attitude in regard to the reality of the court’s will and the information that is driving this project. This reality comes with serious consequences for Dawson’s future.
So far I haven’t seen Judge Lilles run his courtroom like an episode of ‘Judge Judy’ where everyone can have at it in lively debate with the most convincing argument handed a favourable verdict with the slam of a gavel. That’s not how it is.
Please refer to the most recent court transcripts from last week here.
Regardless of how the referendum goes, there will be a court hearing in Dawson in April; do yourself a favour, attend and get educated, although by then it maybe too late.
TH says… The current proposed location is one kilometre upstream from the towns water-supply wells.
So is the south Bench location that TH wants to get back on the table. It too is upstream from the town’s water-supply wells. Again, here is the suggestion that the lagoon has potential to poison the water. Meanwhile, our existing sewer system sits directly on top of our drinking water source. I hear no complaints about that.
TH says… An independent engineering report suggests the current design underestimates leakage, is based on inadequate data, and has a faulty monitoring plan.
This is an individual’s two or three page opinion and not an exhaustive study. Nevertheless, all issues raised have been addressed and have been submitted to YESAB as per public regulatory process. The 64 page response can be viewed on the YESAB web site.
TH says… The proposed location is not the best use of the land given Dawson City’s commerical-land constraints.
Dawson’s land constraints are precisely why lot 1059 was chosen. Dawson’s topography is such that there is precious little land available for this type of project.
As far as commercial land is concerned, Dawson will be opening up more land in the valley for this purpose.
TH says – The proposed location doesn’t meet setback standards in many other jurisdictions.
The setbacks have satisfied all of the parties concerned and is not an issue as supported by documentation found on the YESAB web site.
TH says – The Tr’ondek Hwech’in have a better location available that has not been adequately considered by YTG or the City.
I assume that this ‘better’ location refers to the South Bench. If so, then I suggest that this has been adequately considered by YTG, even exhaustively.
Without betraying confidence, a deal for the South Bench was on the table in 2006 and the deal went sour, which is a shame because the window of opportunity was there.
If you are preparing to cast a vote on this question on Thursday are you fully aware of the consequences of a ‘Yes’ vote to forbid construction?
Court transcripts from February 28 can be read here.
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It’s interesting how the feds never mention the Water Board Hearings of 1999 (I believe – check the online Sun back issues) in which they were overruled by the Water Board, which decided that Dawson ought to be given the opportunity to prove the toxicity (or lack thereof) of its effluent, and where the LC50 test was truly put to trial. All the feds packed their briefcases and walked out of the meeting.
That resulted in a licence. proposed by the Water Board, which might have allowed for some of that testing, and which the Federal Minister of DIAND took many months to consider before he finally decided he could not legally sign. It was at the end of that process, the next summer, while Dawson basically had no new licence, and was effectively under control of the old one, that the City Offices were raided and the charges filed.
Had the City’s proposal of that time been accepted, we would have had several year’s worth of actual studies and, by 2005, would have been well beyond questions as to whether all this was really necessary.