iE vd Kita
EXON ata
March 78, 1994

Major paper mill. new town
planned for Howe Sound site

THE MINISTRY of Forests
and development companys
Britannia Beach Holdings
are al loggerheads over land
the government needs for a
forestry access road above
tae Sea-to-Sky Highwaty.

By Kate Zimmerman

News Reporter .

Existing rods to the arca the
HOveTN enh wats te tease te: lo
ging Companies for old -prowta
Clear-cutling spill out inte the
Britannia Beach and Pures Creek
communities,

“We have been lookig it the
Hest route ta gaining aeeess to the
two valleys o) Pures Creek cand
Britannia Creek.” said: Paul Kuster,
Disteict Mistager of the Squéamish
Forest Districts, “Uabortunatels, the
route best for secessing (Seu-to-
Skyt Highwin YO ami the service
Toads goes through some undevel-
Oped Find owned 's Breanna
Reach Holdings.”

Kuster said that becuuse the
Ministry anticipates heavy traffie
from logging trucks as well as
recreational use by hikers, mioun-
tain-bikers and sports fishermen. it
wants to circunivent these residen-
tial areas and plot its road along the
east side of Howe Sound, between
Lions Bay and Squamish, through
Britannia’s undeveloped land.

If the ministry can’t acquire the
property. Kuneter said it would be
expropriated.

But Britannia Beach has no
intention of giving in fo the govern-
ments demands. The company is
planning a $650 million community
in the SO0Q-ucre area between
Minaty Bay and the 99er restaurant,

Britannia intends to build a
“world-scale” paper milla port ter
minal and a townsite that should
accommodate about O00 homes.
The land ts currentiy bare. said
Britannia Beach Holdings” general
manager Derek Ashford. but it has
been readied for the Makin Paper
MUL which would employ about
38+ people.

The dand the government
intends to exproprite would place
a forestry cond right in the niiddle
ofthe Britannia Beach community.

But, vows company president
Ernest Mahood, “We're not going
fo Tet them expropriate it”

Britannia argues that there is no
need for the new road. Ashford said
there are already access roads that
could serve the ministry's purpo:

“The forest cade says where
‘there is alternate access, you
mustn't duplicate.” he said.

According to Ashford, the

todd s abmniment deesn fb Conform
todhe planned sebdivisren reads
and dis grade bs tte wcess ob thai
permitted by
Lisehiwans

“We werd tevet be able to
desclop the bigs in conpunetien
with the forest poad 7

Miashoou said the nad s prespes
trve placement advo poos rent
thieaigh the ous where
Bortamiia coukd put un a cotictd
MOD PENCE ASHE Den dts dbowchapnesit
dad ie paper andt Ele alse sad: the
toads crete eit and egress
waudd load te te trucks
pullmig U-tirns et the siidulle ot the
havhway

Astor said the Mamistry at
horests is being responsible te any
Vuture communis, regardiess of
Brimurakes plans 7 fhe tarst ser
Vee. athe Hak dn Gg Very Ape
views Phes should be tichanig Gut
for the interests ef the Gomimasnaits
at bara”

Ashtord said the forest raad
would take precedence over what:
ever other future desclopment
might be considered for that area.

Aad. he pointed oul even
though the Ministry of Porests
claims the clear-cutting will not be
visible from the exising Highway
99. itinay be visible from future
roads through the area

But Kuster said the government
his taken into account upgrading
plans for Highway 99,

The concerns of the communi-
ties dotted along the Sea-to-Sky
Highway from Lions Bay to
Lillooet. he said, have been
acknowledged in the plans of both
the government and the logging
companies. Kuster said the depart-
ment would have Eked to work
with Britannia Beach to srt out the
logging road issue. but the eompa-
ny had not submitted its plans to
the ministry for consideration.

But Mahood and Ashford see
sinister matives da the govern:
Wen apparent desite Co move
Ihings alone as sean as possible.

“They want ta get and they
want to fae that tcintber berore
they “re stopped! beeatise Of the nes
Laws amid the new pesubadienis 7
sid Mahood, teterrine be the
Meeesay for communis cpproy at

He contends that logging the
ecaustert slopes of Hows Sour
ubove Britannia would inerease che
risk of debris torments in the creeks
that empty tato Howe Sound

But Kuster said the manistrs toi
JoWs its own estublished poaguees
He claimed that harvesting diner
in the area would pose tas probheras
forestry workers faiven alread
dealt willl efsewhere,

See Howe Sound pase 3,

the Mianistis et

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Distribution 986-1337

Murder memorial

MAHVASH NOIZADAN holds up a photograph of ner brother, Hooshmand Anvari, who
was one of three Iranian Baha'is murdered Sunday in Mdantsane, South Africa, by black
gunmen from a militant group. See story page 3.

seamen,

NO

UE TE ear ea aS

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