Northwest Institute

Working towards social and ecological sustainability in Northwest British Columbia since 1996

Rio Tinto Alcan Environmental Appeal Board Hearing Summaries April - June 2015

2015

Two outdoors-loving Kitimat teachers, Lis Stannus and Emily Towes, have launched a case with the Environmental Appeal Board against the Ministry of Environment (MOE). The two appellants are challenging MOE’s decision to allow Rio Tinto Alcan to increase its sulphur dioxide emissions from its Kitimat aluminum smelter by 55 percent above current permit levels. Even more, MOE is allowing this without the any scrubbers installed at the smelter. Emily and Lis both suffer from asthma, and both teachers are concerned about their students’ health and worried about the effects of the increased emissions on the forests and waterways of the Kitimat-Terrace valley.

The hearings are expected to take four weeks. The first two weeks of hearings will be held in Victoria from April 27 -May 1 and from May 11-15.  Then there will be two weeks of hearings in Kitimat from June 1-5 and June 8-12.


Hearing Summaries

Victoria, April 27 2015, Day 1

Victoria, April 28-29 2015, Day 2 and 3

Victoria, April 30 2015, Day 4

Victoria, May 1 2015, Day 5

Victoria, May 11-12 2015, Day 6 and 7

Victoria, May 13, 2015, Day 8

Victoria, May 14-15 2015, Day 9 and 10

Kitimat, June 1 2015, Day 11

Kitimat, June 2-4, Day 12-14

Kitimat, June 4-5, Day 14-15

Kitimat, June 8, Day 16

Kitimat, June 10, Day 17-18

Kitimat, June 11-12, Day 19-20

Victoria, June 29-30, Final Argument