B.C.’s Peace region should join Alberta
Editor: Les Leyne covers the B.C. legislature for the Victoria Times Colonist newspaper: His column is covered by other B.C. newspapers. In a recent column, he reports that 60 per cent of B.C. voters want the Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain pipeline stopped. Those same 60 per cent want social services strengthened, big changes in child care and our voting system changed.
The NDP and Greens platform want all pipelines, railways and seaports stopped. The Green Party leader has previously stated, “absolutely no tanker traffic in B.C.’s coastal waters.” What he actually said was that all of Alberta’s and Saskatchewan’s oil and gas products could not be shipped to Asian markets from any B.C. port. The Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island voters have also voted to stop paying tolls on all GVRD bridges.
Now B.C.’s Interior and Northern voters (especially Peace River District voters) know what the GVRD and Island freeloaders want.
What about us? For nearly all the years since 1952 when W.A.C Bennett was elected, the Interior’s and Northern’s resource-based economy — on a per capita basis — paid for most of the Lower Mainland’s free ride, from new ferry fleets to schools, hospitals, highways and bridges.
Perhaps the time has come for the Peace River District to make its move and join Alberta. Alberta and Saskatchewan have no other choice except to cut a deal with Montana, Idaho and Oregon to move their petroleum products to Asia.
There are super ports on the remote (sandy) parts of the Oregon coast: An ideal location, where Alberta, Saskatchewan and all western U.S. oil and gas products could be shipped overseas. Alberta and Saskatchewan have plenty of bargaining (negotiating) chips.
B.C., Alberta and Saskatchewan have a 1,000 year supply of coal after the oil and gas has been expended. Saskatchewan has a 200year supply of potash and hundreds of years of uranium. Saskatchewan also has a renewable supply of agricultural products. Alberta, Saskatchewan, the Yukon and Northwest Territories have half of Canada’s fresh-water supply.
I would say yes, the time has long passed where the Peace River region joined Alberta.
Ernie Slump, Penticton