Musings of a Magpie Mind: Winning that lottery and the big fat cheque Duncan all-star Matt Ellison wins Spengler Cup with Team Canada
LIVING, Page 17 SPORTS, Page 30
FRIDAY
POLAR BEARS DIVE IN /12-13
Serving the Cowichan Valley
www.cowichanvalleycitizen.com
Friday, January 8, 2016
Protesters gather outside South Island Aggregates’ Stebbings Road location to voice their opposition to the dumping of contaminated soil within the Shawnigan Lake watershed. Media from across Canada and politicians from across B.C. were on hand Wednesday as opponents of the landfill took their campaign to a new level, including helicopter flyovers and tours outside the site. [KEVIN ROTHBAUER/CITIZEN]
Media, politicians flock to disputed soil site KEVIN ROTHBAUER CITIZEN
Opponents of the South Island Aggregates contaminated soil dump near Shawnigan Lake took their campaign up a notch Wednesday, Jan. 6, taking reporters and politicians from far and wide on helicopter flyovers above the lake and the South Island Aggregates site while simultaneously holding some of their largest protests outside the dump to date. “We wanted to get the story out to a much wider audience,” Shawnigan Lake Area Director Sonia Furstenau said. “We think this is a story that has national significance. How is it that in
d
iv
Awa er r
Bad Dr
#237
for Fatal Distraction
Dexter Texter
2016, a community has to fight for its drinking water?” Views from the helicopter included where the landfill abuts Shawnigan Creek, which flows into the lake from which thousands of residents get their drinking water. Opponents say the ruddy-coloured water flowing into the creek from the site could contain dozens of contaminants. Media members who took advantage of the flyover opportunity included a crew from CTV news magazine series W5, and reporters from the Globe and Mail. Furstenau was pleased to see the national media taking an interest in the story that has
already received extensive coverage on local and provincial levels. “I think our story is starting to get better coverage,” she said. “Getting journalists in our side, who are digging into the story, is demonstrating that we are very serious.” Dozens of volunteers put in time to make Wednesday’s event happen, and “hundreds” spent time protesting at the Stebbings Road site, Furstenau said. Also among those present for the flyover and the protest was Raffi Cavoukian, best known as a longtime children’s entertainer but also a social and environmental activist who has made
several trips to the lake at the invitation of the Shawnigan Residents Association. “I had an aerial view of a little piece of heaven on earth,” he said upon returning from his helicopter trip. “Why in heaven’s name would anyone endanger this is beyond me.” Raffi serenaded reporters with bits of songs, reworded for the day: “This lake is made for you and me,” and “Beautiful Shawnigan Lake, we’re gonna let it shine.” “All my adult life, I’ve been all about clean air and clean water,” he said. His main concern, he added, is
See PROXIMITY, Page 9
Bad Driver Award #237: Fatal Distraction Bad drivers like Dexter bring us good drivers like you. So watch out for texters (and don’t be one yourself)! And when you do need collision repair, remember BC’s favourite bodyshop, Craftsman Collision. ®™ Trademark of AIR MILES International Trading B.V. Used under licence by LoyaltyOne, Inc. and Craftsman Collision Ltd.
www.colbertcreative.com
the children of the area, who will have to suffer the consequences of the decision to dump the contaminated soil for decades. “If we can make it about them, we make it about all of us,” he said. Politicians who attended the event included provincial NDP leader John Horgan and BC Green Party leader Andrew Weaver, although no representatives of the governing Liberal party were present. Several Victoria city councillors took flights, as did Esquimalt councillor Olga Liberchuk.
Duncan • Nanaimo • Victoria • Esquimalt • Colwood