To the Editor,
Re: Regional board considers tanker traffic, Oct. 3.
Kinder Morgan and its cheerleaders are putting spin on the public consultation process.
The only public event hosted by Kinder Morgan in Nanaimo was an open house late last year that had the highest attendance of all so-called consultations along the entire route. That open house was a public relations event and not a true consultation. I attended, and my observation was that the majority of the 200-plus attendees were protesting the Kinder Morgan Pipeline expansion proposal. The overwhelming sentiment that seemed to be expressed was far from an endorsement of pipeline expansion and an increase in tar sands oil tanker traffic on our coast. Kinder Morgan representatives for the most part were unable to reassure those present that they had the ability to adequately address concerns about oil spills and the safety of tar sands diluted bitumen in transit through our local waters in tankers.
If this is consultation, what message are you taking back to your employer and how will you present these consultations to the National Energy Board when the federal review process begins?
Burtt FidlerGabriola Island
