Editor:
We live in the most beautiful place in the world. B.C. has it all and we tend to take it for granted.
The Enbridge pipeline could change all that. They want to build a pipeline from the tar sands to Kitimat.
The pipeline will go over mountains, under or over rivers, next to streams carrying the unrefined caustic sludge from the tar sands. Anywhere along the journey to Kitimat there could be a break in the line which could cause an environmental disaster.
Once it arrives in Kitimat it will be loaded on huge oil tankers and sent to the U.S., China, or wherever it will be refined and sold. That leg of the journey is the most dangerous.
There are five sharp turns the tankers will have to make in the narrow inlets that take them to the open sea, and one mistake could spill oil along our entire coastline.
The damage this project could cause far outweighs any economic benefits it could have for B.C..
There is a video on Youtube called spOIL. It was shown at the library a few weeks ago to a very small audience.
It needs to be seen by everybody, especially the elected officials in the country.
We need to become engaged. Young people are busy making a living and raising kids, but the retired have time. We, the grandmothers, need to do what we have always done, protect our homes, our children, and our grandchildren.
We have always been the primary caregivers and this situation isn’t any different. We need to form a “raging granny” group, and with the other granny groups in Canada, let every level of government know we do not want our home put in jeopardy for a few jobs.
Go online, watch spOIL, and look up Enbridge on Google. Read about the spills in New York and Illinois.
In a recent survey, 75 per cent of B.C. residents said no to this pipeline.
But, those respondents need to do more than say no to a pollster on the phone. They need to speak up loud and clear.
Raging Granny groups have always been very effective conveying the message. They use humor and song to let the government know they should listen to the people instead of corporations. You don’t need to be a grandma or have a professional singing voice.
You just need to be concerned about issues and willing to do something to ensure your grandchildren and great grandchildren will be able to say “we live in the most beautiful place in the world.”
Give me a call if you want to participate: 250-567-4307, or email me at: gamolson@hotmail.com.
Glenda Olson
