Re: Compost: farm or industry (News Review, Aug. 8)
We should all be aware of the large-scale compost issue because if Central Saanich decides farms can operate commercially by selling their compost, a farm at any location can open up for business. Here are some of the changes you could expect:
• Your road may be designated a trucking route, (the bylaw was amended on the no-thru section of Lochside south of Martindale to provide access to Stanhope Farm; it is a residential section of the Lochside Regional Trail busy with bikers, horses and pedestrians.);
• You may be told there will be four or five trucks a day Monday to Friday. Be ready for four to five double-dump trucks every half hour on a busy day, every hour on a quiet day;
• Central Saanich may or may not do roadwork or post signs; It may be very noisy, dusty and smelly; The nature of the area you live may now feel more industrial than rural;
• You may have to meet with neighbors, learn the local laws, go to council meetings, write letters and pay to hire your own lawyer if it is needed, and it may take a lot of time and require a concerted effort to stop this from happening in your community.
Composting is an intelligent, environmental practice that I support, but the scale and location of an operation should be considered as a part of the greater community. I hope Central Saanich council has the vision to see the bigger picture.
Barbara Goddard
Central Saanich