To the Editor,
Maybe someone out there can tell me why our province has a zero carbon goal for 2030 that some municipalities like Vancouver and Nanaimo have activated six years ahead of time. Never mind that municipalities don't have the authority under the Community Charter to regulate what is a provincial service.
Why aren't those same people pushing for an end to fossil fuel advertising in our province not saying a single thing about the Trans Mountain Pipeline that will export oil around the world to be burned in China, India, and other counties in facilities that will produce greenhouse gases far greater than my 91% percent efficient gas furnace?
And what about the liquid natural gas facilities being built in multiple facilities in B.C. including in a First Nation community? Not a peep about that. All that liquid natural gas will be exported to be burned, and it won't be in 91 percent efficient facilities.
So what's your definition of hypocrisy? The last time I checked we all share the same atmosphere, and the atmosphere is an ocean that goes where it chooses.
I called the chief administrator of the City of Nanaimo, and asked what section of the Community Charter gave him the authority to regulate a provincial service (i.e. B.C. Gas). He told me Section 8(3)i gave him that authority. Now if you look at that section 8(3) it refers to mundane things like firecrackers, nuisance dogs, with the referred section referring to "protection of the environment."
But that is related to things like the dumping of oil in streams, etc. and certainly doesn't confer broad powers to regulate provincial utilities, like natural gas.
Obviously, because this is an election year, the party in power doesn't want to ruffle any feathers, and chooses to do nothing. And as usual it will be the taxpayer to pay for all this foolishness.
T. Gowan,
Port Alberni
