New Waste Act Opens Door to Pollution

In the new November/December issue, the Watershed Sentinel reveals the possible environmental repercussions of a new bill close to being passed in the BC legislature. This bill, the Environmental Management Act, will reduce the surveillance mechanisms currently in place that control the emission of industrial pollution into our lakes, rivers, air and land. The resulting loss of pollution monitoring will be compounded by cuts to the enforcement staff that have already taken place, and more that are expected to coincide with the introduction of the act. As they reduce standards and the ability to enforce those reduced standards, there appears to be no stopping the compromise that this government is willing to make regarding the integrity and safety of our environment. BC is indeed