Editor:
The spectacular Prince Rupert Harbour with its many communities is without question the finest harbour on the B.C. coast.
It should be left to develop at a human scale in harmony with its natural beauty while providing residential and small business opportunities that support long term employment and recreation for Rupert’s citizens. A unified 21st century vision for Prince Rupert Harbour and the surrounding area is needed, one that is as environmentally benign as possible, safe and socially acceptable. With billions of dollars being spent and a cynical government thousands of miles away in charge of the waterfront, Rupertites will now need to look to Exxon to provide the leadership that can prevent the Prince Rupert Harbour from becoming a congested industrial space such is the dream of Ottawa’s 19th-century mandarins who block neigbourhood views with towering tin cans, would dredge the Skeena estuary and turn the waterfront into a rail shunting yard.
Once the energy-hungry LNG plants raise the temperature of the clear harbour waters of Tuck Inlet you can kiss winter-spring fishing goodbye as well. If Exxon, who’s annual world budget is larger than Canada’s, decides to spend $25 billion on LNG in B.C. as it has recently announced, certainly North Coast communities will benefit greatly.
A new vision for Prince Rupert Harbour and area that includes quality of life for present communities and future residents is desperately needed. A vision for a multi-function super-port and transportation corridor with direct access to the Pacific is a solution. There are locations that can be considered and utilized to consolidate these world-class ventures at huge cost savings while preserving the beauty and human scale capability of Prince Rupert Harbour.
Peter Christensen, Oona River