RE: steps to determining credibility Hiring one FN person and a FN PR woman does add up to "working closely.."
to determine if you can trust information, look to the source. Then decide if the source has something to gain. When CEO Tapics says Raven will protect the environment, ask yourself if his $248,000. a year salary before permit that could be around $1 million after permit has something to gain, if CEC says it is working close with- what specific issues are being negotiated, who is on the negotiating team, how many meetings, what are outcomes? CEC is working with stakeholders just like there is such a thing as clean coal.
Another test is to look for the evidence that supports claims. CEC states it has consulted with stakeholders. No evidence to support this claim. All stakeholders deny this claim. CEC states there are studies to protect the health of shellfish. DFO and the BC Shellfish Grower's deny the existence of such a study.
All credible studies show Baynes Sound shellfish are already too high in Cd to be marketed in some countries and that global warming is responsible for lower shellfish numbers. And finally, since 600 sustainable jobs are at risk from Raven, the BC Shellfish Grower's Association is actively opposing the mine. See its website BCSGA.ca for a list of the grave concerns BCSGA has if Raven is permitted and denial of any working relationship with CEC. Denman Island lies downwind from thousands of tonnes of methane and C02 emissions and yet CEC has not accepted Denman invitations to "consult" with residents whose homes are already devalued by the threat of a coal mine in the neighbourhood and whose health will be affected by mine toxins. A Harvard study claims the hidden costs of health care and environmental degradation of coal mines is $500 billion a year.
CEC claims scientific evidence for its claims are easy to find and plentiful, but has yet to provide evidence for grandiose lalla land promises. What is easy to find and plentiful are peer reviewed scientific articles and case studies that point to the environmental damage a coal mine creates and lack of enforcement that would make mine owners and not taxpayers accountable.