Dear Members of the…

Dear Members of the Environmental Review Board,

I am writing as a resident of the Goulais River community to express my strong opposition to the proposal by Searchmont Resort to discharge treated sewage and wastewater into the Goulais River.

Though I have only lived here for five years, my home relies on this waterway as our primary source of drinking and household water. Every day, we use water drawn from wells and pumps that are directly connected to this river system. The idea that we may soon be forced to drink, bathe, and cook with water contaminated—no matter how “treated”—by sewage runoff from the resort is deeply disturbing.

This proposal is not just careless; it’s irresponsible. Searchmont Resort’s plan to send their wastewater downstream into a community water source shows a complete disregard for residents, the environment, and the wildlife that depend on this river. Instead of modernizing and responsibly managing their on-site waste system, they appear to be choosing the cheapest and easiest path at the expense of public health and environmental integrity.

Even the mining companies who are located two hours North of here, deep in the forest, surrounded by lakes and rivers, are strictly prohibited from discharging any waste into nearby waterways. They maintain multiple septic systems and hire certified waste management services to empty and handle their sewage responsibly. If a remote mining camp can do this, there is absolutely no justification for a commercial ski resort, located in a populated residential and recreational area, to be granted permission to dump its waste into a major river.

The Goulais River is not an industrial dumping ground—it is a lifeline for hundreds of households, a habitat for fish and wildlife, and a place where families boat, swim, and fish every summer. This proposal puts all of that at risk.

I urge the Environmental Review Board to reject this proposal outright and require Searchmont Resort to invest in modern, environmentally responsible waste treatment solutions that do not endanger the health and safety of the Goulais River community or its ecosystem.

Thank you for your time and for considering the concerns of those of us who call this river home.

Sincerely,