Editor, The Times:
Well, well, even Gordon Gibson, a fellow of the Fraser Institute, says refine it here in Canada.
Stockwell Day, who never made a lot of sense, has made very good sense showing that exporting Alberta tar – bitumen – just loses money for Alberta and, in the end, Canada itself.
David Black has the right idea for a refinery in Canada. It’s just in the wrong place!
Build this refinery as close to Fort Mac as possible. As Gordon Gibson and others have pointed out, refined oil is much safer to move than Alberta tar.
But, as Gordon Gibson states, there is no leadership in the Harper government. No, it’s rams the Keystone (Kops) pipeline down Obama’s throat, push the Northern Gateway to Kitimat for a suicide run down Douglas Channel. It’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when a serious accident happens.
Why are those who promote these pipelines so blind to the loss of value this policy of pushing hot dilbit down a pipeline to be refined in China or the United States would be?
It is just plain ideology? Is the thought of several thousand well-paying jobs (union or non-union) such an anathema to this gang of neo-con ideologues, especially Tony Clement, that they’d rather ship the dilbit to China or the US of A?
Better to have the tar refined in China, with refineries have little or no environmental controls – plus Chinese workers come much cheaper than their Canadian counterparts.
With plunging oil prices, the game has changed radically.
One has to ask – what will be the fate of these pipelines to nowhere?
One can guess – we will have to wait and see. These enterprises may just disappear in a puff of smoke.
Along with Christie Clark’s LNG fantasy.
Dennis Peacock
Clearwater, B.C.
