MLA's letters on Grove questioned
March 9, 2003
I believe Alberni-Qualicum MLA Gillian Trumper
has misrepresented the truth in her many letters by stating
there is a broad base of community and local government support
for her parking lot plan at Cathedral Grove.
Indeed she has only half of the support that she implied. She
took this a step further by influencing the two ministers of
Water Land and Air Protection, the Honourable Joyce Murray and
now the Honourable Bill Barisoff.
This plan has more holes in it than Swiss cheese. Besides being
three times as large as necessary, it is located in the middle
of an elk corridor. Another serious problem is that it is situated
in a wind plume. This is parallel to the damaged areas, where
in, 1997, a gale brought down 10 per cent of the rare Douglas
fir giants in Cathedral Grove.
When we became involved in investigating this issue, we doubted
that so many local governments and agencies could have supported
such a flawed plan. We called Gillian Trumper's office and requested
the source of her support, which was used in so many of her
letters. We were supplied with a list of nine local governments
and chambers of commerce. Minister Barisoff was a little shocked
when I explained that I had Annette Tanner of mid-Island WCWC
telephone the business managers of the various communities and
inquire whether they had any supporting correspondence on record.
Four of the nine had no record, so we decided to phone a member
of each council to be certain. All four representatives confirmed
that no meeting to discuss, or even to view the plans had taken
place. Port Alberni, the fifth, had given a conditional letter
of support; but, indeed their condition of "convenient
access" has never been met.
This misrepresentation of the truth is instrumental in the misappropriation
of taxpayer funds, and led the former minister to move ahead
and approve the design of this ill-conceived parking lot. There
was no conspiracy or evil intent when the government purchased
the land from Weyerhaeuser. No one was aware that this was a
major corridor for the resident elk population, their winter
habitat, nor that the elk would be so seriously affected. There
is a sad irony that the ministry assigned to protect the elk
will indeed be damaging them.
We humbly beg Minister Barisoff to reconsider and take a serious
second thought before moving ahead. The parking lot is too big
and in the wrong place. It takes a big man to admit that he
has been wrong. Public safety isn't so urgent not to take the
time to find a different solution, and thus save Cathedral Grove
as well as the elk.
Sydney Haskell, President
Carmanah Forestry Society
