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The BC Wildlife Federation is wading into the debate over a proposed seniors development in Summerland.
The group is urging members to attend a pair of public meetings on the project next week.
Jesse Zeman with the BCWF says they are worried about the possible impact the 380 unit development could have the Summerland trout hatchery’s water supply.
“When you buy an angling license in BC now, the majority of it goes towards the freshwater fisheries society of BC, who operate the hatchery. So if you are an angler, you are also a shareholder in the hatchery and from our perspective, protecting our investment and the long term sustainability of fish and fishing is extremely important to our membership.”
Last month the B.C. Freshwater Fisheries Society issued a statement telling the public they have retained a consultant to look into the concerns. Vice President of Operations Tim Yesaki said they made the move because there were people in the community speaking on their behalf.
At the time, Yesaki said some of the concerns raised by their consultant had been mitigated, while meetings were scheduled to tackle sedimentation and turbidity issues.
Malek Tawashy of the Lark Group, the developer behind the project said they have every intention of keeping the hatchery’s water safe.
“It's our plan to leave the hatchery in better condition and better economic activity than it was before we arrived, so we’ve talked with them about things we can do to improve their infrastructure,” Tawashy said in December.
Regardless, Zeman says the BCWF have been concerned about the project for months now, and will be attending the District of Summerland meetings to make their opinions known.
“The BC wildlife fed is the oldest and largest conservation organization in BC, and we have a very local, and are able to mobilize our membership on the advocacy end of things.”
- Drop in session: Monday Jan. 16, 2017 3:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. at the Arena Banquet Room.
- Q&A and moderated session: Thursday, Jan. 19, 2017- 7:00 p.m. at the Centre Stage Theatre
