Editor:
What I would have said to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, had I been able to attend his town-hall meeting in Nanaimo:
We are handing over to our descendants a raped and destroyed Planet Earth. Every step we continue to take in that direction is to our discredit.
Kinder Morgan is just another such step. Native peoples use the wisdoms of looking seven generations ahead to assess potential outcomes.
I voted for you, PM Trudeau, because I thought I heard in your words wisdom and foresight. I hope I don’t have to go home from this meeting, knowing the economic Powers of Profit have (pardon the verb) trumped clarity and wisdom and foresight and our grandchildren’s home.
Since Alberta’s current economic needs seem to justify Kinder Morgan, let’s consider B.C.’s economy: the tourist economy, agricultural and land-based ventures of many kinds, fisheries and boating-related endeavours, native lands environmental concerns, et cetera, all of which would almost surely be affected by inevitable oil spills from the pipeline and tankers, spills for which there is no known effective cleanup procedures!
B.C. is not trying to undermine Alberta. Alberta’s interests are endangering B.C. with transport of its toxic product across B.C. territories and on B.C. waterways. B.C. provides Alberta with prize-winning wines, fresh fish and much, much more; Alberta’s pipeline spills will provide B.C. with cleanup horrors and decades or more of devastated lands and waters.
Where is the “fair” in this “trade” idea?
Nina Haedrich, Sechelt
