Your correspondent Alf Randall (The News, April 22) infers that he has sufficient knowledge of the Raven coal mine to claim that the operation will have no detrimental effect on the shellfish industry of Baynes Sound and that the taxes generated by coal production will benefit the province.
He has obviously not studied the chemical analyses of the Raven coals, which show them to have high ash and sulphur content and the mining and cleaning of the coal will result in debris piles heavily laden with sulphurous compounds and heavy metals.
The mine site lies within the watershed of the Tsable River and percolation and surface run-off from these dumps will carry the toxic chemicals into Baynes Sound and lead to the inevitable destruction of a thriving aquaculture industry.
Mr. Randall must also be unaware that the mine owners have purchased the coal rights from a private source and hence no royalties will accrue to the province.
The Raven project will inflict irreparable harm on the environment and yield meagre economic rewards.
Herbert Sullivan
Qualicum Beach