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Pressure mounts in the Media, as Canadian Petroleum Producers bombard us with propaganda to forcefeed the Northern Gateway Pipeline and it’s associated Tanker traffic in the most dangerous and pristine water ways in the world. Across Canada, you are being told by the Press that the majority of British Columbians support a pipeline, that millions of dollars are at stake and thousands of jobs, and that it must be done immediately.
I am here to tell you that the majority of BC residents are against the pipeline and against tankers in the Hecate Straight. The spin has become relentless since Keystone became questionable. One article I read yesterday accused US interests of funding the growing movement against the project. They never fail to say that opposition is comprised of First Nations and environmentalists, as though it were limited to a few small splinter groupsterrorists. For the edification of the rest of Canada, this is not the case. People who oppose the pipeline include residents from all walks of life and across most of the province. You see, we don’t stand to benefit from the wealth and yet we take all the risk.
BC has been hard hit by the Pine Beetle infestation that became epidemic as global warming stopped the prolonged periods of arctic cold in northern BC that used to keep them in check. As a result most of BCs Taiga (northern, high elevation) forests are a tinderbox of standing dead Lodgepole Pine. Pine sap is highly flammable. Cutbacks in BCs Forestry Service have not allowed for controlled burning to take place in winter months to control the level of flash fuel, detrious on the forest floor and standing dead pine beetle kill. This has resulted in a potentially dangerous situation, not just locally, but continent and possibly globally if the whole thing goes up in a drought. Still think its a good idea to add a pipeline?
Then there’s the San Andreas faultline that runs up the west coast. We are told regularly to prepare for the big one, the major earthquake that lurks in our near future. Nobody talks about that either, with regards to how that may impact a pipeline. Add in the record number of fracking for gas operations going on up there, blowing tonnes of water laced with nobody knows what kilometres below the surface and the odds of that earthquake rise exponentially. Plus, northern neighbours get the added bonus of lighting their tapwater on fire as a parlour trick! But wait, that’s not all! For the same price, we are obliged to allow coal to be extracted from the same Sacred Headwaters. Now, everyone knows that charcoal is the most effective water filtration device. What perfect design to have a coal seam under the headwaters in the northwest. A prudent scientific course of action would be to preserve that delicate balance for the interest of every living thing downstream, in this case, all of British Columbia. One would think.
Many people are asking the questions, “Why are you in such a hurry to take such huge risks with the most pristine and globally important environments we have, to ship raw materials out of our economy?” I really wish one of those Ethical Oil cheerleaders would answer this simple question. “Why can’t you build a refinery in Fort Mac and keep the jobs and keep the energy to fuel our own economy?” Those are high quality jobs, middle class jobs that pay taxes and put kids through school. What’s the rush to ship this gunk through BCs Sacred Headwaters that feed most of our major rivers, feeding millions of people with clean water, fish, tourism opportunities, wildlife. indeed, one of the greatest carbon sinks and oxygen producing habitats in the world?
You will be inundated with polls and right wing thinktank reports and threats from CAPP and the Harper Government to pressure BC that this is a Canadian Decision. Well it’s not. This a is a stakeholder decision and make no mistake, the stakeholders here are the citizens of BC, including the unceded territories of the many First Nations.
Remember the HST? You ain’t seen nothin’ yet…
Note; Sorry about the paragraph breaks, they don’t publish with the spaces I inserted in the draft. Ck?
Vancouver Sun Poll showing, 20 % for/ 80 % against.
Kim Hunter Reply:
January 10th, 2012 at 1:09 PM
CBC poll shows the same result: http://www.cbc.ca/news/yourcommunity/2011/12/should-enbridges-proposed-alberta-bc-oil-pipeline-go-ahead.html
Big Oil is banding together to try to force these pipelines. With over 800 spills, and most Canadians against these private profit / public liability corporations, 130 First Nations groups have united to stop these tyrants. Thank you for being engaged.
The slanderous false remarks of our gov. stating “radical foreign environmentalists” are trying to destroy the economy is actually good for Canadians to see how our public servants are corporate puppets. The same manufacturers of Tarsands equipment just cut 600 000 jobs and demand the remainder take a 50% paycut in the East while paying out millions to the CEO is a fine example of what our “leaders” think of Canadians. McJobs are the order of the day, until 8$ is not competitive globally, then, as the agenda unfolds, it is all being outsourced. Visit my blog for all the dirty details.
p.s. I am 10th generation Canadian and care deeply for our countries future.
http://kim-hunter.blogspot.com
Go, vote. http://www2.canada.com/vancouversun/news/business/businesspoll.html
The spokesperson for Enbridge, lied in his teeth about, the BC people accepting the Enbridge pipeline. What an out and out blatant liar. There are more BC citizens angrier than ever after that one.
We would be insane to accept the dirty pipeline. Enbridge has had, 804 pipe spills in the last ten years. They didn’t even clean up their mess, in the Kalamazoo River.
Harper and the Campbell/Clark BC Liberals, have stolen enough from BC and the people. BC is in financial ruin, because of the entire ruddy lot of them. For over ten years now, The BC Liberals have, lied, deceived, are corrupt, thieved and cheated to win. All we have left is the beauty of our province, and the wealth of our beautiful Orca and Humpback Whales and all of the other marine life. We have an abundance of wildlife. People come from all over the world, come to Whale and Bear watch, especially the Spirit Bears and the unique small wolves.
The wild salmon are dying from the filthy diseased fish farms. Our BC rivers Campbell thieved and sold, have destroyed important salmon runs, and cause damage to the flora and fauna. The Kokish River dam project will be, destroying the salmon and the steelhead fish. How many lakes have been poisoned by toxic mine waste being dumped into them?
The fracking is so destructive, and poisons the clean underground water for miles. Why do they need a study on fracking? I would think, when you can light the water on fire, coming out of faucets??? What would be their first clue???
The BC people owe, Harper, Enbridge, Alberta, China and the Campbell/Clark BC Liberals nothing, what-so-ever.