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Continued call for study of McGuire

I have been interested to read that city council is once again considering the stocking of rainbow trout in McGuire Lake. This proposal from the Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC first came in February 2007. There ensued a flurry of letters to the editor and to various politicians both for and against this idea. To my surprise it was obviously a hot-button topic. Some arguments made sense and some did not. A petition with almost 500 names asking council to abandon the idea was collected and presented. In the end the concept was rejected.

My view is the same now as then. I am not against the noble art of sport fishing, but until a proper scientific environmental impact feasibility study is done we are all only guessing as to what the impact on the little lake would be.

City council should make their choice based on science as well as politics. Let’s not just guess at the perceived harms or benefits. Let’s first spend the money required to do the study and then we can begin to understand this gem and make the correct choices.

Doug Mongerson