Fraser Valley politicos trash incinerator plan

Glenda Luymes
The Province
November 09, 2008

Fraser Valley residents are trash-talking a Metro Vancouver proposal to burn the region's garbage in "waste-to-energy" incinerators.

"The people of the Fraser Valley are extremely upset about this," said Chilliwack mayoral candidate Norm Smith. "For years we fought SE2, and here comes a threat from within our own region that's five times the pro-blem."

Smith and the two other Chilliwack mayoral candidates will put politics aside for a few hours tomorrow to rally against the incinerators, which they say will further contaminate the delicate Fraser Valley air shed.

The rally, which Smith hopes will be the first of many, is reminiscent of

rallies against SE2, a huge power plant proposed for Sumas, Wash., in the early 2000s. The proposal was eventually denied.

Smith said he wants the Metro Vancouver board to reconsider waste-to-energy incinerators, which he claims release lead, mercury and nano-particles into the air.

Waste-to-energy proponents claim the waste will be turned to energy that could be used to heat and power businesses and residences near the plants and downplay the other by-products of the process.

- The rally is planned for Nov. 10 from 3:30 to 5 p.m. outside the Chilliwack court-house.

gluymes@theprovince.com