If propane cannons are disturbing you and your family, the following are the
people you should complain to in the Fraser Valley of British Columbia.
First, you should contact the BC Blueberry Council. They have taken on
responsibility for responding to complaints about excessive noise
from propane cannons. They will visit offending
farms who are not following the current guidelines
(ie. the rules) and they will
attempt to "educate" your neighbouring blueberry grower.
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The Blueberry Council can be reached as follows:
Debbie Etsell
BC Blueberry Council Director,
Phone: 604-864-2117
Fax: 604-864-2197
E-mail:
info@bcblueberry.com
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or contact:
Nazam Dulat,
Blueberry Industry Grower Liaison,
Phone: 778-549-0712
E-mail:
nazamdulat@hotmail.com
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Second, some municipalities have added the propane cannon noise guidelines into
their municipal bylaws. In the Fraser Valley the municipalities of Delta,
Surrey and Pitt Meadows have done this. If you live in one of these
municipalities, you should contact local bylaws officers and ask for their help
with your noise problem.
Third, if you do not get any satisfaction from either the Blueberry Council or
local bylaw officers, then you are somewhat out of luck for a quick resolution
to your problem. You then have to escalate the issue and write letters or send
e-mails to the groups and individuals responsible for this outrage. These
people include, the Minister of Agriculture, Steve Thomson and members of the
Farm
Industry Review Board (FIRB). They are responsible for Right to Farm
Legislation, and this legislation permits the use of propane cannons. These
people and their organizations also
have the power to change this legislation.
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Contact the Minister of Agriculture as follows:
Hon. Steve Thomson
PO Box 9043
Stn Prov Govt
Parliament Buildings
Victoria BC, V8W 9E2
Phone: (250) 387-1023
E-mail: AL.Minister@gov.bc.ca
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Contact the Farm Industry Review Board:
PO Box 9129 Stn Prov Govt
Victoria, BC
V8W 9B5
Phone: (250) 356-8945
Fax: (250) 356-5131
E-mail: firb@gov.bc.ca
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We also suggest that you send a copy of your complaint letter to your local
MLA. If
you are unsure of your MLA's mailing address, phone number, or e-mail address,
you can look up this information in the BC Gov't. Directory at the following
link:
http://www.dir.gov.bc.ca/
Simply key in your MLA's name and press enter to retrieve his or her mailing
information.
And you should contact your local Municipal Government, ie. your Mayor and
Councillors. They may tell you that cannons and noise makers are not under
their jurisdiction, but put the pressure on them. They work for you, don't they?
When you send a letter via e-mail, please copy us at:
bancannons@hotmail.com
And if you don't get any satisfaction from any of these people, why not join
our group? Please send us an e-mail. There is no cost, and we promise to
continue fighting this issue until common sense prevails and cannons are
finally silenced in the Fraser Valley.
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