Still a Glimmer of Hope for Cache Creek

(Aired on May 4, 2010)

The Community of Cache Creek may be getting some allies in their fight to keep taking Lower Mainland garbage. Their allies may be people they didn't expect - the people of the Metro Vancouver area and Fraser Valley area.

Interesting to note a column in the Vancouver Province today by columnist Brian Lewis, whose beat is the Fraser Valley area. He points out that Metro Vancouver, who are responsible for determine how the Lower Mainland waste is taken care of, have adopted a one-solution plan- waste-to-energy incineration.

The Fraser Valley, as everyone knows, is already the recipient of much of the bad air from Vancouver through prevailing winds from the coast. Many communities don't want additional toxins from burned waste, however small in number they may turn out to be. As Lewis points out, the government gave Metro a way out of their one-track mind by agreeing to extend the life of the Cache Creek landfill. Don't forget it was the impending end of the landfill that caused Metro to seek alternatives in the first place.

I like the idea of finding alternatives, and there is no doubt that alternatives have to be found. Landfills are an eyesore, and even if they're well hidden from the public now, as Cache Creek's is, the refuse will be in there forever, generating god knows what gasses as it sits there for decades. But by giving Metro a way to buy some time, the government gave Metro an opportunity to find more acceptable solutions, perhaps better and safer technology. Metro didn't buy into the idea. They're still going full steam ahead with their thoughts of incineration.

But a number of political types have started to speak out against Metro's bullheaded approach to disposal, and in the end, that may give Cache Creek the longer lease on life they would like for their landfill. And if that momentum gathers steam, Metro may have to change its thinking. Time for John Ranta and the boys in Cache Creek to put their lobbying duds on and try to stir up the pot. It might provide some interesting results.