Kirk LaPointe

My journalism and my newsroom leadership has supported evidence-based reporting on the environment for four decades. My volunteer work has focused on child hunger and literacy. I have owned electric vehicles for nine years.

West Vancouver’s climate risks are no longer theoretical. Our resilience strategy has to move from planning to implementation.
Wildfire is the most immediate example. About half of the District lies within 100 metres of forested land, and the new Community Wildfire Resiliency Plan contains 45 recommendations. I would prioritize year-round FireSmart work, removal of hazardous dead trees and fuel loads, stronger action on risks that cross between public and private property, protection of critical infrastructure, and clear neighbourhood evacuation plans residents can actually use.
We also need to prepare for heavier rainfall, flooding and sea-level rise. That means stronger stormwater planning, protection and restoration of creeks and natural drainage systems, and continued shoreline adaptation where infrastructure and habitat are at risk. The District itself anticipates wetter winters, more extreme storms, heat events, flooding and sea-level rise.
Extreme heat and wildfire smoke require a public-health response as well: cooling and clean-air spaces, clear communication for vulnerable residents, and emergency plans that include seniors and people with limited mobility.
Finally, I want measurable accountability. Climate resilience should be built into infrastructure, land-use and capital planning, with annual public reporting on what has been completed, what remains at risk, and what comes next.
The goal is simple: fewer plans sitting on shelves, more protection on the ground.

I would not treat a major expansion of Woodfibre LNG as simply an extension of the existing approval. Any proposal that substantially increases LNG carrier traffic through Howe Sound should trigger a fresh, transparent review of marine safety, emergency response and environmental risk.
The currently approved facility is approximately 2.1 million tonnes annually. Transport Canada’s TERMPOL review says Woodfibre does not expect its carriers routinely to anchor in English Bay, although 20 potentially suitable anchorages were identified.
If carrier traffic increases materially, I would advocate for West Vancouver to have a formal voice in the regulatory process and for updated navigation-risk and emergency-response assessments involving Transport Canada, the Canadian Coast Guard, Vancouver Fraser Port Authority, BC Ferries, Squamish Nation and affected municipalities.
I would also seek public disclosure of proposed shipping frequency, routes and anchorage practices; updated modelling of collision, fire and spill risks; confirmation that emergency-response capacity is adequate; and regular emergency exercises involving local responders.
West Vancouver should also understand what additional demands increased marine traffic could place on our shoreline, emergency services and evacuation planning.
The municipality does not regulate international shipping, but that does not mean it should be silent. If the scale of the project changes, the safety analysis must change with it—and West Vancouver’s interests must be represented before any expansion is approved.