Council passed a resolution to contact officials with the District of Squamish about the potential for the two communities to join in lobbying the provincial government for aggressive action to restore the Cheakamus River ecosystem damaged by last summer’s CN Rail chemical spill.

Councillor Eckhard Zeidler, a staunch environmentalist, said the spill of caustic soda into the Cheakamus last August is the sort of incident that sparks cleanup efforts costing in the hundreds of millions of dollars in some jurisdictions.

He said a concerted effort is needed on the part of CN and senior levels of government in this instance as well.

“I can’t help but have the feeling that we aren’t doing enough here,” Zeidler said. “If this issue isn’t resolved, the second largest eagle gathering in the world may be no more.” Zeidler’s motion, which was adopted unanimously, directs staff to speak to District of Squamish officials about what the DOS is doing and report back to Council, with an eye toward helping in those efforts.

Councillor Ralph Forsyth noted that in addition to the environmental tragedy, the spill is an economic tragedy as well, affecting tourism up and down the Sea to Sky corridor.

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