Editor:
Ironically, I happened to be reading an article on a leading maritime website about shipping organizations in Canada and USA protecting the Salish Sea as a shared responsibility, when news broke that the National Energy Board (N.E.B.) had approved the construction of the Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion (TMX). Of course, there are conditions attached to the approval. Those who support our natural resources being exported at a fair market price — which happens to a healthy majority of B.C.’s citizenry according to all polls - will be hoping pipe could soon be laid from the Alberta Oilsands towards the Burnaby Terminal.
Those in the minority, who believe it is their destiny to ensure this project is never built, were out in force as soon as the N.E.B. announcement was made. The usual suspects, whom I labelled as Anti-Tankerista Brigadiers (ATBs) several years ago, were all seated glum-faced in a line behind a desk.
We heard the same old tired rhetoric in their never-ending attempt to cloud the minds of British Columbians as badly as their own minds are clouded with distortions of facts.
Television cameras are always present when these scowling characters show up, and there’s hardly ever fact-checking about anything that passes from their bitter lips. Much speculation was made of tanker traffic having a detrimental effect on the Southern Resident Orcas, but nowhere to be heard was the absolute fact that the TMX would amount to an increase of only one tanker per day in the Salish Sea.
Believe it or not, there was an even greater irony that occurred just as this group of ATBs were having their say. Another group of ATBs, who masquerade as the NDP-Green Alliance government of B.C., were announcing that BC Ferries will increase their operations in the Salish Sea this year by 2,700 additional round-trip sailings.
The BC Ministry of Transportation accentuated that it's good news for all ferry users that fares are remaining frozen on all routes, but absolutely no mention in that press release of any detrimental effects to the orca population.
I wonder why?
Bernie Smith, Parksville
