Editor:
When I moved to White Rock 17 years ago, I was fortunate to have a view of Boundary Bay. Several times recently I noticed hundreds of gulls, ducks and mergansers join five to six dozen seals attack schools of fish (salmon, herring?) around the pier. I had never seen this before.
During the summer, I observed grey whales for the first time. At dusk last fall, I saw thousands of gulls and flocks of crows simultaneously fly eastward for hours. Several years ago my wife and I identified two pelicans, apparently blown north by strong winds, struggling in the bay; only one survived.
It has made me wonder about the environment. All it takes is one oil-tanker disaster to destroy all this; bearing in mind the storm we had last December, it is an accident waiting to happen.
Alberta seems more concerned with jobs and oil profit which they will probably get from the federal minority Liberals for the Conservative’s pipeline (with daily tankers locally). During the past several years, two more rail lines were laid south of Blaine, Wash. to carry hundreds of coal cars through White Rock. The wildfires of B.C. and Alberta the last few years and the recent Brazil, California and Australia fires have left their mark on the environment.
It also makes me think of our urban environment, which lately has been in a rapid process of change. The plethora of cranes foreboding highrises in White Rock centre have grown like weeds thanks to the previous city council.
I think a plaque identifying the former mayor and councillors should be posted on city hall so we remember in perpetuity how they so quickly and drastically changed our city.
I realize that change is inevitable as our population grows, but how and at what cost? Considering the reality of climate change, our natural and physical environments are at risk.
Albert Leering, White Rock
