Vancouver Sun

Shift oil investment into retrofitti­ng B. C.’ s buildings

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Re: Refinery talk refocuses debate, Column, Aug. 20

David Black’s refinery proposal should indeed be the catalyst to reframe the debate about Northern Gateway.

According to Black, the refinery idea will create 6,000 constructi­on jobs and 3,000 permanent jobs.

That’s a big improvemen­t on the 1,000 constructi­on jobs and 78 longterm jobs Enbridge says the pipeline will create in B. C.

There is, however, a much better idea. If we took the $ 6 billion allocated for the pipeline and the $ 13 billion to be spent on the refinery and invested it in retrofitti­ng buildings in the province to make them as energy efficient as possible, we could create close to 380,000 jobs for electricia­ns, heating/ air conditioni­ng installers, carpenters, insulation workers, building inspectors and others. As an added bonus, their work is done in local communitie­s, not remote work camps.

All this work would create $ 38 billion in tax revenues for the B. C. government as the Ministry of Energy and Mines says retrofit programs are revenue positive, returning two dollars in taxes for every dollar invested.

Sanity, not science, should decide the fate of Northern Gateway. I vote to end the debate and get on with the retrofits. MICHAEL JESSEN Energy critic, Green Party of BC

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