Threatened mires and
peatlands of the world
Burns Bog, Canada
Burns
Bog is threatened by the planed construction of the South Fraser
Perimeter Road.
Burns Bog – Discussion Paper
based on a letter from Susan Johns
The discussion
concerning the impact of the proposed South
Fraser Perimeter Road (SFPR) on Burns Bog appears to be based on
the erroneous assumption that if the road does not directly impact the
protected lands in the Ecological Conservancy Area, Burns Bog will not
be
severely impacted and damage can be mitigated or compensated. The Discussion Paper is
missing vital
information from the Burns Bog Ecosystem
Review Report of March 2000, pertaining to the integrity of
the bog. The report
states that:
“approximately 2,450 ha of the 2,800
ha of ecologically available
area are required to preserve the ecological integrity and viability of
Burns
Bog and sustain its distinct processes and lifeforms.
By maintaining an area of this size,
monitoring key indicators, and adjusting management action, this
globally
unique ecosystem has a reasonable likelihood of persisting long into
the future.” (page
242)
The area needed for
protection is 2,450 ha (6,054 acres).
Currently, the Ecological Conservancy Area appears to be
2001 ha (4944
acres), not 2042 ha (5045 acres), as stated in the Application. The land is owned by 3
levels of government
and protected under covenant. Consequently,
we have protected only 82% of the 6,054 acres needed to preserve Burns
Bog as a
viable ecosystem. The
opportunity to
protect the remaining 18% is being lost to the route of the SFPR and
land being
held for industrial development.
Additionally, land along the edge of the Bog is being
acquired by the
crown corporation, the B.C. Transportation Financing Authority, and the
assessment values are being highly inflated in preparation for
construction of
the SFPR. This is
being done prior to
approval and without Burns Bog being adequately protected.
When four levels of
government signed the Burns Bog purchase, they placed a covenant on the
land
agreeing to prepare a Management Plan requiring the cooperative
approach
between the Greater Vancouver Regional District (GVRD), the Canadian
government, the B.C. Government and the Corporation of Delta. The GVRD, as the
designated management
agency, signed an agreement with the Government of Canada in March
2004, to
develop a Management Plan:
“in
collaboration with Delta, BC and the Minister, as soon as
practicable, but in no event longer than two years following the
acquisition of
the Burns Bog lands…”
The subsequent Terms of
Reference for the Burns Bog Management Plan called for a Public
Information Session
on a Draft Plan by December, 2004 and Public Release of the Approved
Management
Plan by December 2005. The
public has
not yet seen the Draft Management Plan.
The public has been
denied information, relevant to the EA, which is supposed to be
available
concerning the management of the Burns Bog Ecological Conservancy Area. The Terms of Reference
(TOR) for the Burns
Bog Management Plan recognize that Burns Bog is, “surrounded by adjacent land uses which influence
the biota of the Bog.”
The TOR further state that activities which impair or
interfere with the
attributes of the “ecological conservancy area”
shall not be permitted. It
has already been recognized that the SFPR
will negatively interfere with Burns Bog and unacceptable mitigation,
compensation
and unproven Adaptive Management Strategies do not comply with the
intent of
the Terms of Reference for the Burns Bog Management Plan.
It is difficult not to
be cynical about our governments withholding this information which is
promised
by legislation and which is very relevant to the environmental
assessment of
the SFPR. Is it
coincidence that the
draft Burns Bog Management Plan is supposed to be released on May 24th,
5 days after the closing date of public input to the environmental
assessment
of the SFPR?
In terms of the revised
SFPR alignments, the road is still too close to the some of the lands
identified (in the Burns Bog Ecosystem Review Summary Map) as areas
required to
preserve the viability of the bog (Zone 1).
The road still goes through Zone 1 areas of Sherwood Forest and it borders Zone 1 at 80th Street; further east at River Way just past Alexander Road and a long stretch along the northern edge of
the protected lands.
The route of the SFPR along Burns Bog will also
negatively impact large tracts of ALR lands.
The road will effectively destroy both farmland and
critical
environmentally-sensitive areas at the same time – a real
deal – two for one!
For more information visit:
www.thereisanotherway.com
www.gatewaysucks.org
www.liveableregion.ca
www.sunburyneighbourhood.ca
www.wildernesscommittee.org
www.savedelta.ca
www.stephenrees.wordpress.com/category/gateway
Disclaimer
The information on this site has been checked by IMCG members
to their best knowledge. However, we request everybody who disagrees
with the information on this site to contact the IMCG secretariat.
www.imcg.net last
update 06-08-2008