Dear Editor:
[Liberal candidate for North Vancouver in the Sept. 20 federal election and Environment Minister] Jonathan Wilkinson tells us it is important for Canada to fully realize the value of its tarsands oil by selling to a wider range of countries, hence the need to extend its reach via the TMX pipeline extension overland and by oil tankers through Vancouver Harbour and the Gulf of Georgia.
He does not mention its cost to our environment, in evidence all around us, though he does admit that climate change is an issue of immediate public concern and “Governments around the world need to take aggressive action.”
However, he says, a significant proportion of Canadians do not wish to spend or lose a great deal of money on aggressive action. Changes – like moving fully to zero emission vehicles – currently planned to be phased in between 2035 and 2050 – will take time.
So, my fellow Canadians, compared to many countries, our personal income is amongst the highest, and most of us want to keep it that way, no matter what the cost to our collective future, or so Wilkinson believes.
I guess we will just have to hope that new technologies will save the future for us.
Margaret Coles
West Vancouver
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