SEHAB Member: Brian Smith
Area: North Vancouver to Port Moody
Community Advisor: Sandie Hollick-Kenyon
Meeting Date: Feb. 24-26, 2017
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Specific topics from last meeting or between meetings requiring comment |
Comments |
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Possible change to SEHAB contract/role as described by Adam and Tina at last meeting. Please describe how you see SEHAB now and where would you like to it go in the future. |
SEHAB needs to remain the voice of the community groups. |
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Letter to Minister LeBlanc re: Fisheries Act Review. Please provide specific examples of failure of the new Act or things you would like to see changed. |
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CA Staffing. Please provide input as to relative importance of CAs to community groups in your area, their priority in terms of SEP funding constraints, and whether your area has/is well served by your CA. |
Ca’s should have priority funding under SEP. Community groups rely on CA’s support/involvement in all projects undertaken. Our CA has been involved in all aspects of our projects from fund raising to on the ground work to report writing. A good CA is crucial to the success of community groups. |
Identify up to 5 succinct issues that you or your community would like SEHAB to take to DFO?
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Where should SEHAB direct this concern? |
Actions already taken by Community or DFO? |
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SEHAB opportunity and Work Plan fit? |
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Issue 1: Maintenance and construction of flood control dikes on urban streams. Stream channelization, loss of riparian habitat |
RHQ?? |
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Help to develop a discussion paper that community groups could use when discussing issue with MLA’s. Need a consistent, informed message when discussing issue with politicians.
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*SEHAB Work Plan/Sub Committees are: Wild Salmon Policy (Stock Assessment, Habitat), Aquaculture, and Capacity & Core Funding
Stories: Highlight important successes and challenges in your area that you would like to discuss this meeting. This can also be a place to provide background for the issues listed above.
Topic/Issue: Construction and maintenance of dikes on urban streams. Existing dikes are being striped of vegetation and new dikes are being constructed with no or little thought given to riparian area protection.
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Challenges: Who has jurisdiction on the issue? What if any role does DFO play? How can community groups help send the message that the riparian areas along dikes need to protected. Need to find way to provide flood control on urban streams in an environmentally friendly way.
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Submissions and Comments from Community Groups:
Submission from: Barbara Frisken
Title: President, North Shore Streamkeepers
We are concerned about plans for flood control mechanisms along creeks. In particular, North Vancouver has a grant from the Province to do work on the Lower MacKay but it looks like they are going to go with traditional dikes, 4m wide, 1:3 slopes, no vegetation. Since they are 1.5m tall, I figure these will be 13m or 40ft wide. This must mean that we will lose riparian habitat in this area – which supports chum, pink and coho. We are trying to figure out how to react to this.
The regulations are coming down from the Province and so this is a large issue. I know that other community groups in Coquitlam and Burnaby have been faced with similar issues. We are hoping that SEHAB could help bring this issue to a higher than municipal level. Perhaps help developing a discussion paper would be a good start. What are the issues, who has jurisdiction, what are the possible solutions? This way the smaller groups can go to their MLA’s with a consistent, informed message. This could then be followed up by action from the larger environmental organizations- SEHAB, Coho Society, PSF etc.
Thank you for any help SEHAB can provide.
Brian’s comments to SEHAB: I think what is happening on the North Shore, Burnaby and Coquitlam with dike construction/maintenance is only a small example of what will soon be a larger problem throughout the Lower Mainland and in larger communities Province wide. Climate change is causing sea levels to rise, increased annual rain fall amounts and more extreme weather events. More communities/municipalities will be turning to dikes to protect infrastructure and public/personal property from flooding. I believe SEHAB can help find a more environmentally friendly way to do this.