The Cowichan Valley Regional District is disappointed after the Supreme Court of Canada dismissed their final avenue of appeal in the dirty dirt battle.
The CVRD asked the courts to review judgement from the BC Court of Appeal last November that allowed the Cobble Hill Holdings landfill near Shawnigan Lake, to continue operating at the time. Board Chair Jon Lefebure says the the decision has significantly limited local government’s ability to regulate activities associated with mining..and it’s not in the best interested of our communities.
The CVRD says they will continue to advocate for provincial ministries to respect the interests and concerns of local communities when considering approval of similar facilities in the future.
In a Facebook post, Cowichan Valley MLA Sonia Furstenau who has championed much of the action against the contaminated soil dump called the decision disappointing. However, she said, “it does not change the fact that the Ministry of Environment cancelled [Cobble Hill Holding’s] permit in February, which means that dumping has been stopped at the contaminated landfill facility. It also does not change the result of the January 2016 Shawnigan Residents Association’s victory at the BC Supreme Court in the Judicial Review of the Environmental Appeal Board’s decision to uphold the permit.”
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