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Dam consultation period an opportunity

We can only hope that city staff and members of council are taking this as a serious opportunity to move forward.

To the Editor,

Into Week 1 of the 30-day consultation period with regards to Colliery Dams we can only hope that city staff and members of council are taking this as a serious opportunity to move forward and not simply to placate Chief White who asked for this.

A lot is said about dealing with the safety issues of the dams immediately; is there really such a need?  For those Councillors who have spouted the safety factor as rationale for removal this year I would like to say; if you are so concerned with safety then stop approving steep slope developments that will prove far more hazardous to far more people in an earthquake too small to affect the dams.

Both sides agree to one thing, if the dams are removed they will be replaced, it is the process thereof upon which there is no agreement.

On one hand a group on council have put forward removing the dams, and issued a tender towards such, with no firm deadlines for reconstruction or research on impacts to the Chase River and its fishery.

On the other a smaller, by one, group of councillors, as well as thousands of citizens, believeing mitigating the immediate hazard can be accomplished this year towards removal/replacement, or remediation, of one dam next year and the second  the following year.

Focusing only on mitigation this year would allow the city to have all ducks in a row when it comes to removal/remediation.

Issuing a tender only for removal makes no sense when a tender issued for all aspects at once would save the city millions.

Gordon W. FullerNanaimo