Ashlu

The SLRD staff report has been released.

January 19, 2006 SLRD Staff Report on Ashlu Re-application

It recommends against proceeding with the re-application, and:

1. THAT the report from the Planning Consultant and Manager of Planning and Development on the Ashlu IPP rezoning application be received for information.

2. THAT the rezoning application for the Ashlu IPP be deferred pending completion of a regional energy/IPP strategy.

3. THAT the Province be requested to initiate and complete a multi-stakeholder regional IPP strategy as soon as possible, with completion no later than December 31, 2006.

They have provided the board three options:
Option 1 – Deny the rezoning application. Based on known extensive public opposition to the proposed Ashlu IPP, the lack of conformance to existing OCP policy and adopted IPP policy, and the essentially unchanged information provided by the applicant the Board may choose not to proceed with the Ashlu zoning application.

Option 2 – Proceed with the rezoning application, within context of provincial offer This option would allow the application to be considered by the Board based on its technical, economic, environmental and social merits, and would allow for public input at the public hearing. This option would also allow for public input and discussion on the provincial offer to protect 10 of the streams identified by the Planning Forum of the LRMP process and determine whether the “trade-offs” for protection of the 10 streams would justify rezoning of the Ashlu.

Option 3 – Defer the rezoning application until completion of an IPP/Energy Strategy for the Sea-To-Sky corridor. This option would essentially reiterate the Board resolution made on Jan.11 2005 that no projects should be considered for approval on the 12 high-value rivers until a consensus-based regional strategy is completed. This option would allow the Board and public to review the opportunities for IPP development in the SLRD in a comprehensive manner, within the context of the Sea-to-Sky LRMP, the updated BC Energy Plan, and the upcoming BC Hydro 20-year plan (not yet released)

January 19, 2006 Update

Believe it or not - the Ashlu Power Project application is back. Ledcor has submitted another application to the SLRD (to be considered at the January 30 SLRD board meeting) and as far as we can tell, there is no new technical information in the application, other than a short letter regarding flood-hazard assessment of the project.

In addition to the re-application, there is a further political twist to all of this.

The province has submitted to the SLRD, an offer to have some planning go on regarding energy projects in the SLRD. While this may appear to be a straightforward offer to work with the SLRD, the details of the provincial offer are somewhat cloudy and shrouded in a number of "if's" and "but's".

The controversial and highlight bits are the original Nov 18 MEMPR letter are:
- potential to place water reserves on some streams (most put forward in the
   Sea to Sky LRMP as places where projects are not appropriate)
- this would be the case except for the Ashlu, and for Callaghan Creek
- the water reserves would only prohibit new applications
- the water reserves would only be in place until "studies" were completed to determine
   which streams should be developed
- that this planning would only proceed AFTER the MEMPR offer is accepted
   and the SLRD would approve the Ashlu Project otherwise the offer is withdrawn

The second clarification letter from MEMPR had the following highlights:
- the entire offer would be valid only IF the Lieutenant Governor in Council approved it
- that the SLRD would be empowered to investigate which of the ten streams in the SLRD
   should be developed for power projects
- that the studies required would need "the full support of the relevant local government,
   First Nation(s), and affected provincial agencies"
- that the parties involved would need to "agree completely" on the studies
- that MEMPR is discussing what a regional energy strategy would look like, and will
   continue to do so

The bottom line: is that this offer would allow the SLRD to attempt to come to resolution on 10 of the 12 streams named by the Sea to Sky LRMP as streams not appropriate for power development. On the surface this looks like a win (83% of what was requested is put on the table). A deeper look is more revealing (see summary spreadsheet for analysis).

Of the 10 streams in the provincial offer, 5 have never had a power project application (Pemberton Creek, Poole Creek, Sims Creek, Upper Soo River and Upper Squamish River). Industry, it seems, is not interested in these, and with good reason, as a combination of head height, volume, distance to interconnection, and other issues surrounding these streams means they are highly unlikely to ever see applications. That they have not had applications is a clear sign of better projects (for industry) elsewhere in the SLRD.

Of the remaining 5 streams, 2 have had applications on them in the past, but have been dropped in the last year (Elaho and Sigurd Creek). The Elaho project involved a storage scheme, and while the stream is high volume, it is also relatively low head. The distance to interconnect is huge, and the number of other sectors which would have serious concerns with any flooding proposal is large, and opposition would be expected to be very high. The Sigurd Creek project involved a high-head, low-volume project that was highly unlikely to go ahead without the Ashlu project supporting the interconnection costs. The project also sat square in a recreational area, bordered on a park, affected a grizzly bear foraging area, had scenic value issues, and last but in no way least the project has very high construction costs due to the terrain. This project application was dropped during the Ashlu review, and is unlikely to ever be developed. Industry has, it would seem, indicated they are not interested in these two streams.

This leaves 3 streams as the heart of the provincial offer, all of which have water license applications in place, and would therefore be outside the terms of the provincial offer. Of those, 2 have proponents who are not likely to simply give up, despite the likely controversial nature of the projects (Ryan River and Birkenhead River) It is also of note that the Mount Currie First Nations is the proponent for the Birkenhead project, and that these rights were acquired from Ledcor in the past year.

That leaves Sloquet Creek (upon which Northwest Cascade has 3 applications on the mainstem and side tributaries) which is outside the SLRD, and would need to be deferred to the Fraser Valley Regional District. It is also of note that these three projects are licensed to Northwest Cascade Power (at the same address as Ledcor).

In the end the provincial appears to offer little to it than public relations value, as the SLRD would gain little from such a trade-off, and in addition to the lack of substance, would put itself in contradiction to many of its legal obligations to allow public processes to determine the outcomes, rather than having any pre-determined outcomes to an approval process.

On top of all of that, accepting that offer would mean moving forward with a project that clearly received a lot of public concern, far more than any of the other run-of-river projects which the SLRD has already approved.

Where does it all end? On January 30, 2006, the SLRD board will be considering both the re-application and the provincial offer, and there is an SLRD staff report due prior to the meeting. While we are unsure of what the report will contain, it will be posted when it is released. The documents referenced above are listed at the links which follow:

Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources (MEMPR) Letters

Dec 15, 2005 MEMPR Letter to the SLRD

Nov 28, 2005 MEMPR Letter to the SLRD

SLRD Documents

Nov 18, 2005 Staff Report on potential offer

2003 - 2005 Background

Of all of the efforts that the WKABC has made in response to proposed impacts to the paddling community, this issue was the single largest, to date.

This was the result of a number of factors: the particularly high value of the Ashlu drainage, the wide variety of incredible paddling, the spectacular scenery, the huge tourism potential, the approach the developer took in dealing with those whom expressed concerns, the cooperative efforts of the other community groups, the recognition of the value of this drainage in the Sea to Sky LRMP recommendations package, and the huge amount of response that came in from across the country, across North America, and from abroad, all supporting our efforts to see the Ashlu remain as it is - free flowing

While the local government has denied the projects re-zoning application, we remain concerned regarding this project. The developer expended considerable effort attempting to move the project forward, and we anticipate that this project will be of concern again in the future.

Efforts by the association included; multiple presentations to local government, multiple papers on the impacts to navigation, an incredible amount of effort to respond to the tremendous amount of misinformation which was put forward by the project proponent, numerous submissions to public hearings, both written and oral, coordination of the responses from a wide variety of concerned groups whom also opposed the project.

Some of the many hundreds of pages of submissions are listed at the links below:

Our 2003 request for clarification of information sources - never responded to

Documentation of runs on the lower part of the stream

Documenting flow reduction impacts

Documenting usable flow periods

Documenting nighttime flow peaks

The regional government opposed the project's re-zoning - following their staff's report on the re-zoning application.

SLRD Staff Report & Recommendations

The local government, the District of Squamish also opposed the project.

District of Squamish minutes of October 2004, with motion to oppose