To the editor,
Re: Whole country facing challenge with pipelines, June 6.
I wish to state that it is not in the best interest of all Canadians to have the Pacific Coast of British Columbia at risk for spills of bitumen. Our oceans have already been so utterly damaged, that maybe some people don’t think they are worth saving, that they might just as well be used to transport toxic elements, and one more spill won’t make much difference. However, that does sound obtuse, and our oceans are worth cleansing and healing and that takes time. One does not heal by putting the patient at risk.
I can only suspect that the prime minister’s decision to allow Kinder Morgan to build its pipeline through B.C. has been made under some sort of duress, as it is not rational to risk the well-being of that which provides life, food, and sustains the planet. Moreover, building a pipeline ensures the continuation of tar sands development, so why would government and corporations invest so much money in a diminishing industry?
We, who thought a new PM would bring Canada some fresh, healthy thinking, are greatly disappointed in the direction the government is taking. I have spoken with B.C men who have worked in Fort McMurray. One told me that they smell gasoline fumes all day. One man said he worked there only to pay off his mortgage and he could hardly wait to end the job, so he could work at home in his family business.
The mayor of Fort McMurray, in the fall of 2015 stated that they were going to curb city development projects because the ground was so saturated with oil that it stuck to their boots. Surely, that is an indication that the tar sands should not be further developed.
I ask the prime minister simply to focus on healthy, alternative economic forms of development in areas all across Canada, so people can work close to families.
Lavonne Garnett, Nanaimo