Metro Vancouver has given Transmountain a 2-year permit to use 11 acres of Colony Farm Regional Park so that they can assemble the portion of the pipeline that will go under the Fraser River. There was no public consultation or inclusion of Kwikwetlem First Nation and all discussions and decisions were made in closed meetings. 

The field that Transmountain plans to use at Colony Farm Park has been designated for agricultural use under Colony Farm’s Land Use Plan. Agricultural fields have significant wildlife value. In particular, these fields, because they have not been used for agricultural activities for several years, have mostly converted into “old field habitat” which is an extremely valuable type of habitat for many species. In particular, several species- at-risk rely on the old field habitat at Colony Farm Park. These include great blue herons, barn owls, short-eared owls and barn swallows. While the nesting season for migratory birds is an especially critical time of year, the fields are used by wildlife throughout the entire year especially by raptors which forage over the fields for voles and other small mammals.

Colony Farm was specifically protected to keep the lands in public ownership, to keep the lands open and accessible to the public, to preserve the agricultural capability of the land, to provide opportunities for public recreation and to protect wildlife habitat and enhance its biodiversity. Another goal was to ensure compatible land uses. We do not see construction of a pipeline to be a compatible land use at Colony Farm Regional Park. We are strongly opposed to this proposed use of a protected Park as a construction site and ask you to reverse this poor decision.

We acknowledge that Colony Farm Regional Park is on the unceded core traditional territory of the Kwikwetlem First Nation.