WayneRite Denies Wooing Metro’s Waste?

It is very difficult for anyone to find any plausibility in Mayor Wayne Wright’s denial of wooing Metro Vancouver’s waste. Are we really to believe that our mayor has no idea if New Westminster is on Metro Vancouver's radar as a potential waste to energy site?

Lisa Spitale, the city’s director of development services, was asked by council to visit England’s integrated waste management system. A strange request considering the mayor is quoted in the March 15, 2008 Record as saying, “Our garbage is not ours. It belongs to the GVRD.” So our city council asked a city employee to look at something, while on holiday, that is a regional issue. Apparently Councilor Harper will also be visiting a waste-to-energy facility in Japan. Maybe we could have Ms. Spitale give a report back to the residents of New Westminster at the next council meeting.

In the past Metro Vancouver has been very sensitive to the wishes of its member municipalities. I have no reason to believe that they would act any differently on a matter as important as this one. The March 15, 2008 Newsleader stated that New Westminster is, “one of several cities in the Lower Mainland that Metro Vancouver is eyeing for a new waste-to-energy facility.” In the same article Metro Vancouver’s Bill Morrell states that, “Port Moody, North Vancouver and Surrey are also among the cities listed as possible locations.” It is ludicrous then for our mayor to state that he has no idea about the possibility of this.

Waste-to-energy is good technology but given the air quality issues, the past pollution problems of the Braid and Sapperton area, the truck traffic implications and the access and egress of the site one has to wonder if this is really the best location for such a facility.

In the March 15, 2008 Record Wright said, “I want to be there at the beginning and not playing catchup.” Well, I’m sure he is there, at the beginning, leading the charge. The residents of New Westminster would like to be there too and be as informed as possible.

- Neil Powell, founding director, Voice New Westminster