But region required to work with Fraser Valley to address air quality concerns if it builds facility in the Lower Mainland

METRO VANCOUVER - The B.C. government has given the nod to Metro Vancouver to build a waste incinerator to burn the region’s garbage, as long as it meets a host of conditions that includes appeasing the Fraser Valley over air-quality concerns.

Environment Minister Terry Lake said Monday that Metro Vancouver officials would have to consult with the Fraser Valley Regional District before considering any incinerators in the region, as well as establish a working group to deal with potential air-quality issues.

He also warned that “approval to pursue waste-to-energy should not be considered a licence to burn garbage.” All proposals will have to meet stringent provincial emission standards — and possibly an environmental assessment — before they go ahead, he said.

“What we’re saying is we’re breathing the same air here whether you live in Metro Vancouver or in the Fraser Valley,” Lake told The Vancouver Sun. “If you’re [building an incinerator] in the region, play nice with your neighbours and do it in a way that’s not going to negatively impact them.”

Metro Vancouver chairwoman Lois Jackson said Monday was a “red-letter” day for the region.

But while Jackson was optimistic that Metro would be able to win over the Fraser Valley, Metro chief administrative officer Johnny Carline conceded “it’ll be a big challenge” to get the neighbours on board.

Fraser Valley residents have long opposed Metro’s solid waste management plan, which recommends investigating options for a trash incinerator in or outside the region or using waste “conversion technologies” such as anaerobic digestion or gasification to dispose of 500,000 tonnes of the region’s garbage annually.

Valley officials fear an incinerator would send pollutants and toxins into their community and raise potential health concerns. The Fraser Valley is only responsible for 14 per cent of the pollutants in its air, FVRD spokeswoman Patricia Ross said, while 57 per cent comes from Metro Vancouver and 29 per cent from the United States.

“I’m not a happy camper; I’m so disappointed,” Ross said. “We’ve hashed this out ad nauseam. Everything we’ve asked for in terms of consultation has been denied. I don’t have any faith that it’ll go any better.”

The province has said that if an agreement can’t be reached between Metro and the Fraser Valley over a proposed incinerator, the matter would go to arbitration.

That doesn’t comfort Ross, nor do the province’s assurances that any proposals could be subject to environmental assessments.

She argued that every project should be heavily scrutinized, noting that once an incinerator is built, the community has to continue to feed it, which will end up generating a demand for more waste to meet the plant’s operating targets.

Carline said the location of an incinerator would depend on the request for proposals and potential financial models. Covanta Energy on Gold River has expressed major interest in building an incinerator there to take Metro’s garbage, but Carline said the region hasn’t ruled out one in the Lower Mainland. Surrey and the Tsawwassen First Nation have expressed interest in having an incinerator. The Wilderness Committee warned “the real fight” will start when Metro decides on a location. “Wherever they try to do this we will be there to make sure people know the truth about what is being proposed in their backyard,” said the committee’s Ben West.