The woman appealing ACC's pollution permit circulated a supposed Facebook message Friday alleging the B.C. Liberal government is helping the corporation move its gasifier elswhere.

But the supposed author, Interior Science and Innovation Council executive director Bill McQuarrie, denied he wrote the message, calling it a fake.
“I've never used Facebook for any business purposes,” he said.

“Why would you write a client on Facebook?” McQuarrie asked rhetorically. “It's a career killer for me. If I was going to write that, I would probably have written my letter of resignation shortly before.”

He said he will try to trace the origin of the message that appeared briefly on his Facebook page Thursday but it might be difficult. “There may be a way to trace it.”

He questioned why permit appellant Ruth Madsen would simply start telling media about the purported memo without checking the facts. “Why do that without the courtesy of a call.”

The latest controversy surfaced less than a day after Aboriginal Cogeneration president Kim Sigurdson announced he is abandoning a proposal to gasify creosote railway ties at Mission Flats due to public opposition. It has all permits needed to operate.

The message circulated to reporters by Madsen – posted to McQuarrie's Facebook account for about two hours Thursday – is addressed to “Kim” and talks about next steps for Aboriginal Cogeneration Corp.'s proposal for a gasifier.

“Also just talked with Terry and reminded him that he's not to mention any of the possible locations and we simply talk about the great science and technology. He's been given his marching orders from above.”

Contacted Friday, Kamloops-North Thompson MLA Terry Lake said he's never seen the message. He laughed off suggestions he's taking “marching orders from above” or “memorizing lines” as alleged in the memo.

“What I've said is I'd be happy to work with him (Sigurdson) to look at alternative locations. I've had people in other communities express some interest in looking at this project,” he said, declining to name them.

The message also seems to imply that Lake told McQuarrie a gasification permit will be approved elsewhere and OK'd by government “as long as it isn't down in the Fraser Valley….”

“I never talked to Kim Sigurdson saying ‘as long as it's not in the Fraser Valley,'” Lake replied in an interview after Madsen sent out the message.
“It's crazy.”

Madsen said she believes the message is real and it “raises questions.

“Is Bill McQuarrie right that Terry Lake has 'marching orders from the top' and 'has his lines memorized?'” she wrote in a press release.

“If so, who is representing the interests of Kamloops residents? Is the B.C. government really reviewing and signing off on company press releases? Why do the residents of Kamloops get less protection than the people of the Fraser Valley?”

McQuarrie called the Faceback accusation “devastating, just devastating,” adding, ”It has the potential to destroy a relationship with the Province and with Terry (Lake).”

If it's a gag, he said, “I'm not laughing.”

Jason Bourgeois, the regional manager in Kamloops who approved the ACC permit, said the permit remains in place until the company notifies the Ministry of Environment it is abandoning its plans here.

If the corporation wants to locate its gasifier elsewhere in B.C. “the simple answer is he needs a new permit for a new location,” Bourgeois said.

Much of the permit application work used for Kamloops – engineering and pilot testing in North Dakota – could be used elsewhere, Bourgeois said.

But it would require new notification, public consultation and a new study on localized meteorological conditions at another site.

“If it were rural or far from homes, it wouldn't be an issue.”

Bourgeois said because the permit remains in place he assumes the B.C. Environmental Appeal Board will continue to consider Madsen's application to have the permit overturned.

Sigurdson could not be reached for comment Friday night.

cfortems@kamloopsnews.ca