KAMLOOPS, B.C. -- A third B.C. Liberal MLA has joined growing opposition to the province's backing of a garbage incinerator in Metro Vancouver.

Cariboo Chilcotin MLA Donna Barnett, the parliamentary secretary for regional economic development, has sent a letter to Cache Creek councillors explaining her opposition to provincial support for a garbage incinerator in the Fraser Valley.

Environment Minister Terry Lake has endorsed Metro Vancouver's plan to burn 500,000 tonnes of Lower Mainland garbage that can't be recycled or composted.

Metro Vancouver has been shipping trash to the dump at Cache Creek and Barnett fears loss of that business will hurt the economies in southern Interior communities.

Fraser Valley-area MLAs John van Dongen and John Les are also questioning the incinerator plan, saying the project could harm air quality in the region.

Cache Creek Mayor John Ranta says it's almost unprecedented to have government MLAs speaking out against provincial decisions, and he hopes the revolt will help derail the incinerator proposal.

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