Burnaby bylaw fight could be a precedent setter

If Burnaby loses the bylaw fight on the Kinder Morgan pipeline business interests are going to get some really big boots.

Bylaws protect you from receiving or causing harm. Well, mostly. But generally they’re a greater good and allow municipalities to exercise your local rights and freedoms and if any business can ignore bylaws then they’re acting above the law of common good. That’s not healthy. In fact it sets a very, very dangerous legal precedent.

Allowing Kinder Morgan to step above the law puts us under their heels and sets the stage for you to be under the foot of any commercial interest. If businesses are allowed to do whatever they want while pursuing profit regardless of laws then what’s to stop them from building a pipeline through your backyard? Absolutely nothing. How can you stop them from hacking down your trees because they’re in the way? You can’t. What if they don’t want to clean up their messes? Good luck with that too. And don’t think it can’t happen because it is happening. So say goodbye to your constitutional rights and best of luck trying to get them back. This fight is really about protecting you.

No one should be above the law, especially at the expense of your rights. You and I have to follow the rules so why shouldn’t they? If Burnaby loses the fight the legal gates will swing open and sadly you and I will be the ones trampled.

Keith Guthmiller Medicine Hat