Opportunity missed by Council and Mayor to be properly informed on LNG and Fracking up North @ Quest University. It was disturbing that other than one DOS employee that was seen, no councillors or mayor had attended a very valuable presentation on fracking and the economic benefit of LNG by Andrew Nikiforuk at Quest, with many hundreds attending.
The District of Squamish and council also had promised that they would first hold a town hall meting on LNG and then decide about a referendum.
It would have been a relief had they decided to follow through.
Everybody at this time should ask themselves the following questions: Is the WLNG going to be a good neighbour (Sukanto Tanoto, please Google it)? Are we better off afterwards? Is LNG a growing economy and a continuous supplier of new jobs?
After the initial inrush of a few hundred construction workers (mainly outsiders, possibly lodged and fed on site) for a few months possibly a year. The skills, are mainly construction and iron worker and other trade union jobs, so there is very little for non-union job seekers. Don’t forget that pre-assembled materials will be arriving by boat.
Another key question you need to ask to yourself, if you are a domestic gas consumer at this time, is will you be prepared to pay the same once the floodgate to ship our valuable commodity out of Canada is opened – at a minimum of three times higher cost to the new Asia customers)?
The Howe Sound having restored itself to a healthier state than when it was called the “Chemical Alley of Squamish” with five chemical plants of the past, final shut down and having left us with clean air again and fish to come back... Is this not worth fighting for? For the next generation now moving into Squamish, not having experienced the stink that we had and the foam on the water! The proponent with its spin doctors promises everything will be OK... can they be held responsible and will they have deposited in trust or by way of insurance, if they don’t obey by their promises made. Who insures that?
Furthermore, the private UBCM meeting in Whistler heavily supported by industry, brought up the following headline for our analysis... “It’s a Game Changer for Canada” Game=gamble, changer= uncertainty, Canada= what about Squamish being directly affected?
Maybe meaning a great profit for the oil and gas industry and its (foreign?) shareholders.
Hans Schaer
