St. Andrews Anglican Church in Pender Harbour has joined other Anglican churches in B.C. in fulfilling their "sacred duty" to support the carbon tax now being considered as an item for the 2008 provincial budget to be delivered in February.
Rev. Bob Korth wrote a letter in December to Finance Minister Carole Taylor in response to her call for public input on creating a green budget.The letter, written with the approval of St. Andrews parishioners, expresses support for a carbon tax and is part of a broader campaign kicked off by B.C.'s Anglican church a year ago. The most recent position taken by the province, detailed in the mid-November Budget 2008 Consulta-tions report, indicates a preference for incentive-based programs over a carbon tax. The New Westminster Anglican Diocese of B.C., which represents 75 churches on the Lower Mainland and three on the Coast - about 2,400 people in total - tried to influence that stance in December 2006 by writing a letter to Taylor and Premier Gordon Campbell.
David Dranchuk, the church's co-ordinator for societal ministry and a Halfmoon Bay resident, calls climate change "the most pressing moral, ethical and spiritual issue of the day," and sees the action taken to address it having an additional benefit of uniting people of different faiths.
"As time goes on and the climate change crisis becomes more apparent, I believe that all people of faith will rise to the challenge it's something in every faith's tradition," he said.
The letter expresses support for a carbon tax "high enough to influence decision making with regards to lifestyle choice" and calls on Taylor to reduce income taxes enough to make a revenue-neutral tax shift, while paying special attention on taking measures to ensure the tax doesn't disproportionately affect low income earners.
Dranchuk said the three B.C. Anglican churches on the Coast (the other local Anglican parish for Christ the Redeemer Church is part of the Anglican Church of Rwanda) are also "doing practical things to do our part," like an energy use survey that aims to reduce their consumption by 10 to 20 per cent at each building.
St. John's United Church in Sechelt is also focusing on environmental concerns and may write a letter to the province about the carbon tax.
David Moul, environmental steward at St. Hilda's Anglican Church in Sechelt, said his church has signed on to the UN's Earth Charter and is prepared to "go with ethics, rather than the bottom line."
A revenue-neutral carbon tax is also being supported by Vancouver's Canadian Memorial United Church, as well as more than 60 economists at B.C. universities.Korth was away on vacation and could not be reached by Coast Reporter's deadline.
