Mr. Weston’s letter promoting Enbridge last week has prompted me to share my experience of 26 summers plying our northern coastal waters as a commercial fisherman.
Storm-force winds frequent our central and north coast every winter — a place where we have staggering 24-foot tides and storms that come out of nowhere.
Imagine being in the middle of Hecate Strait, far from land and the tidal current flooding and ebbing at a speed of two knots four times a day, back and forth. Anyone that endorses tankers navigating through these waters is not acting in the interest of British Columbians. It would only be a matter of time before an accident happened and our intricate coastline would make any oil cleanup impossible.
On shore, Northern Gateway’s proposed pipeline path through Super Natural B.C.’s unstable ground, rife with snow and landslides, is not sensible. And if there is a leak or incident, who will monitor the numerous stream crossings? Certainly not a neutered DFO. The federal government recently cut large swaths of habitat staff from the federal agency. And as for the company, Enbridge has a terrible track record when it comes to oil spills, like in the example near Kalamazoo, Michigan, where a large rupture happened in 2010.
I was fortunate enough to participate in the Squamish Fisheries Roundtable meetings, in which John Weston was involved. It was led by a upstanding group of serious citizens committed to improving our watersheds and raising their concerns to their MP. However, after time, I became frustrated with John Weston’s lack of meaningful action. It became clear to me that he has very little power, and any good intentions he may have are simply just that. Unfortunately, we need someone to take real action.
This project makes little sense, including the economic angle, which has been debunked by experts. It’s a sad day when Mr. Weston happily suggests his constituents support his position on Northern Gateway. Myself, and many I know, do not.
Jim Horner
Whistler
