Weir decommission delay to provide time to incorporate public comments into final plan

Local Journalism Initiative

May 23, 2024 at 4:49 p.m.·2 min read

Pushing back the decommission of the Coats Marsh weir by one year is to give the Regional District of Nanaimo additional time to respond to public comments, according to parks staff.

Initially scheduled to be undertaken late summer and early fall of this year, RDN manager of parks, Rick Daykin, said pushing back construction to that same period in 2025 “was made to provide sufficient time to revise the decommissioning plan in response to public comments received through the engagement process.”

In December and January the RDN held a public comment period for the preliminary decommissioning plan which included an in-person information session on Gabriola. Questions included whether construction activities will affect the beaver living in the marsh and what methods are proposed to reduce impacts. The RDN’s public engagement summary report says such questions will be addressed in the final plan.

Other feedback included a letter from homeowners that share a property line with the regional park. As per the public engagement summary, staff committed to reviewing communications practices with parks operations team members, review opportunities for project phasing and discuss feasibility with the project consulting team, and review design options for retaining the existing berm – which was installed by property co-owner The Nature Trust of BC – and discuss maintenance requirements.

The decision to delay the project by one year was made in February, according to Daykin. Also in February, the RDN board passed a motion to conduct an impact assessment of the project on wildlife habitat as well as recommendations to mitigate effects of habitat loss. RDN staff said this assessment by the project biologist is scheduled to be complete by in June.

“Habitat mitigation opportunities presented in the assessment may also be included in the final decommissioning plan,” Daykin said.

Under the new project timeline, the habitat risk assessment, decommissioning design and permitting application began in April and will conclude in October. Construction tendering is scheduled for April-May 2025 followed by construction late summer/fall 2025. Thus far, $189,675 of the $414,100 budget has been spent.

Rachelle Stein-Wotten, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Gabriola Sounder

CBC
Sunshine Coast homeowner fined $70,000 for dredging creek
A Sunshine Coast homeowner has been fined $70,000 for illegally dredging a creek and destroying fish habitat in Roberts Creek.George I. Winkler pleaded guilty to two counts of Fisheries Act offences, activities other than fishing that result in death to fish, and harmful alteration or disruption or destruction of fish habitat.On two separate occasions, Winkler hired workers to dredge sections of Stephens Creek, which runs through a property he and his family own, causing fish death and habitat l
The Canadian Press
Illinois is hit with cicada chaos. This is what it's like to see, hear and feel billions of bugs
RIVERWOODS, Ill. (AP) — The ground had seemed to undulate at night, alive with bugs. Crawling cicada nymphs, striving to get higher after 17 years underground, marched en masse toward and up trees, pausing to shed their skin and emerge as adults. And then the fun began.
Tacoma News Tribune
Driver ignores signs and runs over threatened species’ nest on beach, WA officials say
The nest was completely destroyed, wildlife officials said.
USA TODAY
Watch rare birth of twin elephant calves in Thailand as baby girl surprises everyone
Caretakers at the Ayutthaya Elephant Palace and Royal Kraal only planned on Chamchuri giving birth to one calf one June 7. Then another calf emerged.
BBC
How a Kenyan farmer became a champion of climate change denial
A Kenyan farmer has caught the eye of climate change deniers worldwide. But what is driving him?
CBC
Dad travels 6,000 km to help son fix model train at Yukon's Transportation Museum
The executive director of the Yukon Transportation Museum is getting help from his dad, a recently retired electrical engineer living in New Jersey, repairing a model train that's been on display for decades.The old White Pass model train diorama has been at the museum since 1997. "I would love to see this train be able to run" said 32-year-old Sean Ridder, the museum's head. But the high cost of hiring someone with the right expertise to fix it meant the repairs weren't happening.Then Sean's de
The Canadian Press
Calgary pipe repair could take three to five more weeks as 'significant' damage found
CALGARY — Resumption of normal water service in Calgary could be delayed by an extra three to five weeks.
The Canadian Press
New signs warning of great white sharks in the works for some East Coast beaches
HALIFAX — There's growing evidence that the number of great white sharks is on the rise along Canada's East Coast, where plans are in the works to post warning signs for beachgoers for the first time.
Miami Herald
Do electric vehicles fare better than gas guzzlers when the water starts rising?
“EVs are designed to operate safe in the rain but they are not designed to be boats”
CBC
B.C. coal mining company fined for more than 400 violations
A B.C. coal mining company in northeastern B.C. has been fined more than $45,000 for repeated violations of the province's environmental protection rules, including the failure to monitor mine waste into fish-bearing water and failure to limit particulate being put into the air.Conuma Resources Limited is a metallurgical coal mining company operating in the Tumbler Ridge area in northeastern B.C., roughly 660 kilometres directly northeast of Vancouver.It mines coal from to produce carbon used in
Fox Weather
Venomous snake bites dog at Connecticut state park, prompting risky mountaintop rescue
A dog in Connecticut faced a risky mountaintop rescue after being bitten by a venomous copperhead snake.
The Canadian Press
Chinese premier promises more pandas and urges Australia to put aside differences
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Sunday promised a new pair of giant pandas to a zoo and urged Australia to set aside its differences with Beijing at the outset of the first visit to the country by China's second-highest ranking leader in seven years.
CBC
Environment Canada says it can now rapidly link high-heat weather events to climate change
Environment and Climate Change Canada says it's now able to publicly identify links between episodes of extreme heat and climate change within days of a weather event.The federal department says that its scientists now have the ability to estimate the degree to which human-induced climate change played a role in a heat wave or extreme heat event within a week of it happening.Friederike Otto, an internationally renowned climate researcher and one of the global leaders in weather attribution scien
Tacoma News Tribune
Rare creature — with ‘striking’ blue color — seen in Washington for first time in years
It was an “extremely rare sight,” wildlife officials said.
The Canadian Press
Singapore rushes to clean-up oil slick after boat hits stationary fuel supply ship
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — An oil spill caused by a dredger boat hitting a stationary cargo tanker has blackened part of Singapore’s southern coastline, including the popular resort island of Sentosa, and sparked concerns it may threaten marine wildlife as a clean-up operation was underway Sunday.
Tasting Table
An Expensive Cooler Spotted At Costco Has Shoppers Wondering Who Actually Needs It
Cooler technology has advanced a lot in recent years, but when it comes to a new model available at Costco, shoppers are wondering if it's worth the high price.
BBC
Rare butterfly species reintroduced to Wales
A team has been capturing, rearing and releasing under-threat marsh fritillary caterpillars.
Reuters
Singapore intensifies oil spill clean up after it spreads along coast
SINGAPORE (Reuters) -An oil spill off southern Singapore has spread to other areas of the island's coast and is threatening a marine reserve, government agencies said, adding that authorities were intensifying efforts to mop up the fuel. The oil spilled into Singaporean waters after a Netherlands-flagged dredger struck a stationary Singapore-flagged bunker vessel on Friday afternoon in the southern port of Pasir Panjang. Authorities had said the vessel was no longer leaking oil, but added in a statement late on Saturday that "due to the tidal current, the treated oil has landed along shorelines including Sentosa, Labrador Nature Reserve, Southern Islands, Marina South Pier, and East Coast Park".
Local Journalism Initiative
Turtle road hits 'heartbreaking'
Give a turtle a break this summer by braking for it when one is spotted trying to cross a road. That's the ask of wildlife experts, who say the small reptiles deserve a bit of respect — some could be 100 years old, after all. Joe Crowley, a provincial species-at-risk specialist, said Friday it's not just giant tortoises that can live for longer than a century. Crowley, who is based in Peterborough, Ont., said there is growing evidence that painted turtles and snapping turtles — two species known
Yahoo Canada Style
What bugs should you worry about this summer? Everything to know about ants, bees, mosquitoes and more insects
Wasps, ticks, mosquitoes and other bugs love the summer months too, but how do you prevent running into these pesky critters?

Latest Stories