Dear Editor:
O Canada! What is happening to thee? Hard to believe it has only been a year since the Harper government won it's much-sought-after majority. It is now becoming painfully clear why.
Its latest decision to "streamline" (a euphemism for rubber stamp) environmental reviews is just one example. Putting a two year timeline on all reviews, no matter the complexity, shows exactly where this government's priorities are.
Does this mean that some projects will be denied? Not likely. We continually get assurances from both federal and provincial governments that there will still be rigorous reviews. Really?
There are many projects now that are in contravention of existing rules and regulations. Both governments have also slashed the budgets for the departments that do the inspections.
The idea of more oil tankers in Burrard Inlet and along the coast is not worth the risk. No amount of money can clean up an oil spill and its repercussions. Increasing traffic from five tankers a month to 30 will raise the odds of a spill exponentially. It is a huge risk with no reward. We are not even being bribed with cheaper gas. Only the spectre of "jobs, jobs, jobs."
I am not a "foreigner," a "radical," an "eco-terrorist" or an "adversary." I'm just a 53-year-old British Columbian who is extremely concerned to see the speed at which this beautiful province and country are being sold off to foreign interests in the guise of national interest.
Terry Muldoon North Vancouver
