Texada Action Now: New directors, new campaign

The Texada Community Centre in Gillies Bay was packed on Sunday night. Island residents were there to demonstrate opposition to the WestPac LNG and gas-fired generation project./

TEXADA ISLAND, BC – The Texada Community Centre in Gillies Bay was packed on Sunday night. Island residents were there to support the reformation of Texada Action Now (T.A.N.), to vote in a board of directors, and to plan next steps, which include an island-wide petition.

Nine directors were elected. Chuck Childress, a former director for Area D, was voted in as chair.

The society exists to strengthen the integrity of the fabric of the Texada Island Community.

What threatens the integrity of the Texada fabric today is the WestPac LNG proposal to build a huge LNG terminal and a gas-fired generation plant on the north tip of the island

“Everyone is concerned,” says Childress. “It’s clear from the response tonight that these people don’t want this project.”

But how do other people on Texada feel about it?

“We’re going to ask them, starting Wednesday,” says Childress.

Leslie Goresky, also elected as a director on Sunday evening, is co-ordinating the petition. On Wednesday, Goresky and other volunteers will be knocking on every door on Texada Island, petition in hand, and ready to talk about the WestPac project.

“We need to talk to residents and property owners, “ says Goresky. “If you’re not at home, we’ll leave a note. Please call us.”

“It is vitally important that this petition show where Texadans stand on this project.”

Arthur Caldicott, from Cowichan Bay on Vancouver Island, spoke about the impact on community of projects like this, and how a community can respond. His presentation was followed by questions and discussion.

Childress sums it up this way: “No-one who lives on Texada wants this thing. Our petition will make that fact clear. It doesn’t fit the provincial government’s climate change agenda. It’s like allowing smoking in one school alone in BC – on Texada.”

“We’re not going to let that happen.” Updated information is available at T.A.N.’s website, www.texadaactionnow.org.

For more information, please contact:

Chuck Childress, Chair
(604) 414-3537
childress@prcn.org

Richard Fletcher, Vice-Chair
(604) 486-6786
fletcher.richard@blueyonder.co.uk

Leslie Goresky, Director
(604) 483-8423
lgoresky@xplornet.com