SHAWNIGAN LAKE B.C. – Sonia Furstenau, B.C. Green Party Environment Critic and candidate for the Cowichan Valley riding, will join the Save Shawnigan Water Community Action Group Research Team today for a press conference condemning the continued unregulated dumping of soil in the Shawnigan Watershed. The press conference will take place next to Van Horne Creek, where a landslide from a soil dump site on Stebbings Road has impacted the watercourse.

WHEN: 12:30 PM today, April 18, 2017



WHERE: 770 Shawnigan Lake Road, Shawnigan Lake.

“Government agencies must act to prevent contamination of our community drinking watersheds. The landslide that happened at Van Horne Creek could have been prevented if the provincial government had stepped in,” said Furstenau. “As a B.C. Green MLA I will ensure that regulations put in place to protect our creeks, rivers, lakes, and ocean are enforced.”



“Once again, Sonia Furstenau is standing up for her community,” said B.C. Green Party Leader Andrew Weaver. “We cannot afford to allow disruptions to our ecosystems like the landslide into Van Horne Creek to continue. B.C. Green MLAs in the legislature will fight for accountability and protection so that the people of Shawnigan, and communities across the province, don’t have to fear for the safety of their drinking water.”



The ecological balance platform consists of three planks: Healthy Ecosystems, Environmental Protection and Environmental Remediation. It includes commitments to:





Environmental assessment processes that consider sustainability goals, take full account of greenhouse gas emissions, and cumulative impacts;

Requirements for businesses and individuals transporting, storing or producing hazardous materials to demonstrate their ongoing ability to cover the total costs of cleanup and restoration when an accident such as a spill occurs;

Provincial parks and protected areas that preserve ecological diversity and natural habitats in addition to recreational benefits.

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Media contact

Jillian Oliver, Press Secretary

+1 778-650-0597 | jillian.oliver@bcgreens.ca