Editor:
Re: John Weston's town hall meeting, April 11.
Mr. Weston is the instigator of bicycling initiatives which encourage people to leave the car at home and ride a bike to help save the environment while, at the same time, his government is in favour of doubling the size of the tar sands.
It seems that the increasing tar sands development is a fait accompli so really the oil companies have got us over a barrel.
He said it will provide jobs but if I were a 60-year-old woman just laid off from my job with the CBC, I doubt if I would be able to go to work on the tar sands until I was 67. Providing jobs for young men between the ages of 20 to 35 is only one part of the equation.
He also said that right now the cruise ships pass right by the Sunshine Coast every day, but really they should be stopping in here to provide the shops with more business.
A couple of years ago I was near the Yucatan Peninsula. I read that it was a cute fishing village on the Mexican Riviera. The main street looked like Las Vegas and about twice a day huge cruise ships disgorged their load of tourists who filled the street with noise and litter and drunkenness while the businesses prospered and the ordinary people moved out of their town.
He quoted U.S. President Obama on a couple of occasions which made him sound reasonable.
David Suzuki has the last word, however. He said that the Harper government is a Marxist government, Groucho Marx that is. He said, "Why should I care about future generations? What have they ever done for me?"
That seems to be Mr. Harper's sentiment exactly.
Janet Fairfield
Roberts Creek
