To the editor,
And so we have ourselves an out-and-out provincial trade war, thanks to John Horgan and the B.C. NDP.
While no one wants to see a trade war between provinces, what was Premier Notley to do? With the united Conservative Party at her heels and her economy still largely dependent on oil and gas development and sales she had to counter a blatantly unconstitutional action by B.C.
Horgan and his ministers can talk all they like about the environment and a made-in-B.C. this or that but we live in a federation where there is a sharing of powers – and in this case the Trans Mountain pipeline comes under federal jurisdiction not provincial jurisdiction – otherwise we don’t have a country if inter-provincial movement of goods is up to provincial whim. This project has gone through an environmental review and extensive technical and public review.
B.C. should remember it is receiving $6.6 billion cash from the federal government this year not to mention many other federal activities in the province. Get off your high horse B.C. and start acting like a mature member of the federation not like a sulky spoiled child.
Brian Peckford, Nanaimo
To the editor,
In the dispute between B.C. and Alberta regarding the Kinder Morgan pipeline, I believe B.C.’s side isn’t getting fair press coverage.
It’s not all about the pipeline; it’s also about the seven-fold increase in tankers in Burrard Inlet, the Salish Sea and Juan de Fuca Strait. It’s about the extreme toxicity of diluted bitumen and the fumes when it’s being loaded on those tankers. The mayors of Vancouver and Burnaby are solidly opposed to this project because they don’t want accidents in a very busy waterway that borders their citizens’ dwellings. Vancouver Island populations are opposed because we see increased tanker traffic, and at worst, a spill, as having extreme damage to an already stressed environment.
Don’t we have any say in what travels on our lands and waters? Are we to jeopardize coastal jobs and industry so oil barons can get richer?
Rachel Notley’s response has been almost hysterical; too many of these irritants will make Kinder Morgan pack up and go away. My response: why aren’t you refining your tar sands in Alberta? Why are we always exporting our raw materials for others to add value to?
Arlene Feke, Nanaimo
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