Minister of Environment Mary Polak has issued the following statement in regards to the waste discharge permit held by Cobble Hill Holdings Ltd. for their facility near Shawnigan Lake.

“Effective immediately, I have suspended the waste discharge permit for Cobble Hill Holdings due to their failure to address both outstanding as well as past non-compliances. I am also signalling my intention to cancel the permit if the Ministry of Environment statutory decision-maker does not receive the required documents, as outlined in my suspension letter to the company, within fifteen business days.

“I have also informed the company it must continue to meet all monitoring requirements and ensure pollution does not occur regardless of the permit suspension. Further to that, I am also issuing a Spill Prevention Order to ensure appropriate measures are taken to reduce the risk of leachate escaping from the facility into the environment.

“My decision to suspend the waste discharge permit is based on information and advice from my staff, who are technical experts in their field.”

The minister’s letter of suspension, reasons for decision and Spill Prevention Order can be found at: http://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/environment/air-land-water/site-permitting-compliance/sia