Submission 0701-BARNUM

Submitter: Jim Barnum

Community: N. Vancouver

Date Submitted: September 1, 2023

Summary:
Coalition lawyers should be given more time to cross-examine witnesses about fish farming effects on wild salmon.

Submission:
I am very concerned by the coverage that I’m reading of the hearings that are currently proceeding. There appears to be a problem with the process.

My concern is the extremely short amount of time each coalition is being given to question witnesses. They were given access to over 500,000 documents, but there appears to be no time to bring forth most of the important information contained in them. The Cohen Inquiry spent months going through policy issues, but when it comes to the actual biological reason the Fraser sockeye are dying, and the extremely important question: “is this industry placed in locations that are dangerous to wild salmon”, lawyers are in some cases being given just 5 minutes to question four witnesses. Why is this?

I will continue to attend and observe and make my opinions known.