Editor:
I would like to express my support to the members of Prince Rupert City Council who voted unanimously to keep our coastal waters free from increased oil tanker traffic.
It is becoming increasingly clear that notion of neutrality on the issue of the proposed Northern Gateway Twin Pipeline project is an illusion.
In a recent letter released from the Office of the Prime Minister, Salpie Stepanian, assistant to the Prime Minister, writes in reference to the Northern Gateway project that: “We do not want projects that are deemed safe, generate thousands of new jobs and open up new export markets to die in the approval phase due to unnecessary delays” (Stepanian).
Besides showing an utter lack of faith in the review process, this statement clearly demonstrates that the federal government is not waiting until the Joint Review Panel is finished and “all the facts are known” before expressing its opinion on the project, so why should Prince Rupert City Council be expected to wait? (Stanway)
Someone whose views I value and respect recently suggested to me that it’s no accident that pressure has been put on town councils to withhold their opinions until the JRP process is finished. This tactic has effectively silenced local governments when they could have had a valuable role to play as intervenors, provided, they would have been permitted to actually speak at the hearings, that
is.
Sincerely,
Kaeleen Foote