So I suppose having half a million litres of sour crude oil spill into a creek flowing into the the Red Deer River didn't result in a fish die off or the water being undrinkable. The problem with your mentality is the ends always justify the means. As long as someone else's quality of life is impacted its okay. If you lived and fished in an area with mercury contamination, or your water supply was tainted, or your local streams or lakes had the fish all killed off by pollutants then maybe you'd be whistling a different tune. But hey it's someone else that got dealt that lousy card so too bad for him, I'm alright Jack.
Maybe if the "antis" as you call them had gotten there way 50-100 years ago we wouldn't all need high powered fishing boats to find fish in ever further afield locations. Maybe we'd still be fishing out of a small skiff within rowing distance of fantastic fishing on our doorstep with live herring for bait like the old days. Maybe if the "antis" had gotten their way a long time ago the world wouldn't be in danger from deforestation, pollution, global warming, extreme weather, shrinking ozone layers, melting ice caps, species extinctions, etc, etc, etc. Everything has a price my friend, and one day the cheque will come due. Oh ya I forgot, not your problem. Your kids are the ones that will pay the consequences for our total lack of concern about our planets environment, so no worries.
BTW these issues are all interrelated. The pipeline to service the dirty tar sands projects will be going through the NE sector of the province. There would be no added environmental risk to Northern BC if this terminal was not constructed to service the oil tankers to supply "communist" China. Seems pretty funny the same guys denigrating people as left wing communists who oppose something on environmental grounds have no issues trading our oil to a repressive communist regime for cold hard cash.
The new oil terminal in Prince Rupert will be risking our Northern BC coastline to profit China, Alberta and the big oil companies making profits from one of the biggest polluting oil extraction projects on the planet. Once the construction phase is complete BC will see very little benefit from these projects yet we will be bearing all the environmental risk. Hardly a fair trade just to service China's demand for oil and profit the Alberta govt and the big oil companies.
I find it highly unlikely I will be fueling my boat to go fishing with fuel derived from the northern gateway pipeline. I'm sure the majority of the gas consumed in Canada will still be refined on the continent after the pipeline and oil terminals completion. BC accepts all the environmental risk and Alberta and the big oil companies get all the gain. I can hardly even understand how a person from BC could think those projects in the North are in BC's best interest. But what do I know, I'm just an SJW according to you.
Of course all the stuff you've mentioned is a negative I get it. I grapple everyday with our needs and the risks that they create, you don't have to explain it to me. I wish it was as black and white as you make it out to be. I wish we could just say no to everything. As a matter of fact if you paid any attention to what I've posted on here over the years you'd understand that my attitude isn't as you put it "the ends justify the means", and certainly not at any cost. Even if the anti's got their way we'd still be in a world of hurt because you're conveniently ignoring the real issue and that's population, look around you do you really think for a second the environment would be thriving in the population density that surrounds you? You still wouldn't be paddling out to amazing fishing within the NIMBY blight that is Vancouver. The anti's like the oil mongers will keep popping out the crotch fruit and the technology to wean us off fossil fuels still doesn't exist forget about 50-100 years ago, the picture wouldn't be much if any different.
You can't understand how someone from BC accepts these projects? Here's how, you and I both NEED it 100%, we can't live without them literally. I can't understand how someone who is fully immersed in reaping the benefits of all these things we've discussed can answer everything with a simple no, you don't have to like it to accept and acknowledge it. Plus there's more than just BC's interests to consider. Face it or give me the alternative, what Middle East oil? You gonna say solar panels or windmills, what's stopping you? We'll skip the reality that there isn't a jurisdiction in the world that's succeeded, look at Ontario as an example, it's a mess. Anyways skip a few trips a year, maybe a holiday or two and you could build a system in no time if you were really actually willing to make the sacrifices required to achieve the outcome you preach about (we can pretend it'll meet your needs). You know everything in your world can't stay the same and change at the same time right, what sacrifices are you prepared to make? Assuming you're of retirement age your generation has done wonders to put us in this situation so I can understand your guilt but don't attack others livelihoods to stave off your guilt while you unappreciatively reap the benefits cashing your CPP check (huge natural gas asset owner), burning as much gas as you want whenever you want, enjoying unlimited reliable cheap electricity, and all the other benefits the extractive industries provide you. If you're so concerned take the step yourself, don't expect someone else to make the sacrifice so your life can stay the same. There's a few vocal members on here who preach about shutting everything down and the solar savior that could have easily been well on their way to if not done a home system in the short time I've been on here. What' stopping you? Make the sacrifice.
"Supplying communist China" Yawn, do a 360° in your desk chair look where the stuff that surrounds you was made then flip your chair over and check it and get back to me. I don't love the idea of pipelines and tankers to the coast but at least we'd gain a little trade balance out of it. As for the GHG's same as always Canada could go to zero tomorrow and the world wouldn't even notice it. Before you latch on and twist it I haven't said don't try but we need to be very careful about massive economic interruption for what will no matter what have zero global impact other than making us look good at the COP table. China will keep cranking out more crap like what's surrounding you right now. Even if you could stop China from buying fossil fuels who are you to make that decision? Do they not deserve the same quality of life you've enjoyed? There's only one person who's consumption you can control, what's stopping you if you care so deeply? You can't have your cake and eat it too. Be the change you want, don't delude yourself into thinking saying no to everything on a fishing website actually does anything.
In your third and fourth paragraphs you talk about a pipeline and oil terminal in Prince Rupert. Last I heard it was rejected in favor of TMX and Energy East, you know a compromise. Did I miss something or are you just grasping again?
Don't lecture me about a cheque coming due, I'm still guessing you're a gentleman of retirement age and therefor have been on the planet for more than 50% longer than I, you own more of it than I do by a huge margin. I'll guarantee it. It always confuses me when people say the pipelines exist to service the oil sands, do you think the oil companies operate in a vacuum? They only exist to service YOU. It makes as much sense and your absolving yourself of your boating (AKA non essential luxury because I've seen you say you release most so you don't even get a meal out of it) impact by saying Northern Gateway won't bring you boat gas, you know it still comes in a pipeline right? A 50+ year old one for that matter, since it's not coming in Northern Gateway does this mean you're ok with TMX? Of course not, you'll start talking about some other issue so that you don't have to acknowledge that you are as much the problem as anyone else or commit to anything. The oil, hydro, mining, forestry companies only exist for one reason and that's YOU. This is another pointless endeavor so you can have the last word, but keep consuming while you complain it keeps the wheels greased. If you say nothing else in reply just for a change tell me for fun which of these extractive industries you support? Wow, I guess I can never give you a hard time for long rambling posts eh! lol But I suppose the big picture isn't as easy as a simple no.
Harry Swain
