MkumbaJoe

So, when was the last time the NDP was in power? did they have a majority?

If you do not vote for them, they have no means to do the changes you would like.

By the time that the NDP, perhaps do get to form a govenment with some authority,it will be far too late to save the environment, because we are already prevented by past laws to bust out of various agreements made.

Hit the streets, you say? sure our lotus-eater population will be so busy with the latest toy, to even notice .

We are brainwashed to believe that our lives are blessed because industry keeps delivering new gadgets!

Nothing can, or will be

Nothing can, or will be changed under the present deregulated, imaginary money creation by private banks, licencing destruction and enslavement.

We need money, under strict public control, to represent realities for trading purposes, but not the present racket of destructive, dictatorial powers by imaginary figures, to maintain the enforcing powers of a theory for the benefit of an aristocracy.

Ed Deak.

long winding Road

Enjoyable read but a little compressed, maybe on purpose . I put the start of BCs environmental disasters and take over by, US at the time , foreign interests near the end of WACs 2nd term. Every government since has been complicit in the distruction of our paradise here in BC.

First violence

will come from the oil companies. Just as pipeline "bombings" that inexplicably have no authors just happen to result in immediate enlargement of the previous pipe as "coincidental benefit" when repairs are effected, so also will convenient events occur in B.C. Just watch as they manufacture consent for repression and unbridled rapacity.

'Agent provoctuers' will be

'Agent provoctuers' will be in the mix too just to egg people on.

"The book is a must

"The book is a must read."

Sorry, Rafe. If it doesn't expose the banking system as the root cause of our predicament, it's a waste of time.

Excellent read

And too true. I am feeling disgusted by some of the above comments, they are some of the reasons why the the apathetic attitudes prevail in this province" nothing can be changed..." if you got out from behind your keyboard, maybe it would.
When the push back for the environment starts to happen, I will be there..pushing hard for our rivers, oceans and land. This insanity does have to stop, and its very obvious it will bave to be the people, not our govt that will do the work, our leadership (if you can call it that) is to busy collecting corporate donations, and keytowing to the federal govt

A Voice

You are late to this game . Emma Goldmann said many decades ago , that "if voting changed things elections would be illegal" Never has that been truer in Canada. I regularly here the Apathetic Voter argument in the coffee shop. It's both elitist and a cop out . What your advocating requires the spilling of blood , not something to speak of lightly. The governments we now have are result of the will of the people , since the the end of WW2 anyway.

Privatization

I went south for a few years before Ralph 'let's privatize every government service" Klien stopped being a channel 4 weatherman and became premier of Alberta.

I was shocked when I came back and looked at a forestry map of crown land in Alberta to see that it had the names of corporations all over it, in place of a named forest used to be. Where I live here in BC if I go into supposed crown land I see signs everywhere stating that the land is private property and no trespassing is aloud. Recently armed thugs from the BC government have been kicking campers off of supposed crown forest lands.

Canada has already been sold off to the highest bidders and none of that money goes to Canadians that are not already filthy rich. We are all serfs now and the BC Lib Gov along with the Fed Cons are just flexing their muscles for these multinational who own the mineral right's to Canada called leases and permits.

Quit your whining and get used to being a modern day slave, either that or go out and make a change for the better. Quit working for the multinationals and quit buying their trash that destroys our habitat.

End of story all you whiners are to blame for supporting them in your buying frenzies.

Representative Democracy and Debt

These are the two things that are the problem with caring for the environment.

It is now glaringly obvious that representative democracy represents corporations, banks, and those with money and influence. The only way for the people to have a voice is to change the system of government to direct democracy with strict laws to enforce the new system.

The debt, which is raging out of control even while interest rates are low, will control any political party regardless of the policies offered up during an election campaign.

The notion that the NDP will save the environment is a pipe dream at best. The big push from the NDP will be the promise of jobs, jobs, jobs, and better educational and medical services. These things all cost huge dollars. With the existing government debt, they cannot possibly interfere with industry. So don't expect help from the NDP, or any other party not willing to seriously change how it spends the tax dollars it collects.

The next election had better be about money!

Good one Rafe

Cozy up to Ottawa indeed...

The recent spill into the Red Deer River has a Premier stating that 100,000 people who depend on this section of the river for their drinking water should be grateful because in Alberta this doesn't happen more often.
Cold comfort.
Who will pay for the provision of drinking water from alternate sources? Or are we to believe that industrial oil in our water is good for us?
Where is the map that shows the landscape and watersheds that are affected by recent spills, pollution and waste from the oil industry?
Where is the research on the effects of chemicals released into the environment - into the air and water - from the tar sands? How are we supposed to judge whether or not the development as currently practiced even breaks even, once the environmental costs are calculated?
Oh, right. The Environmental Lakes Program, currently doing research on the ecological effects of tar sands released chemicals is being shut down. As is the high arctic atmospheric monitoring station, which was tracking pollutants and thinning ozone over Canada. Not even $6 million a year to keep these two world class programs running.

And break Canada's commitments under the Montreal Protocol, the treaty on ozone monitoring and reduction, by shutting down the arctic atmosphere program, just for good measure.

And a new $50 million for tar sands environmental "monitoring."

Maybe we should hire an economist for Prime Minister...

Oh, right...

Numbers please

"That there will be spills, leaks and ruptures spewing this heavy toxic gunk onto our lands, into our rivers and onto our coasts is a mathematical certainty and our task is to fight with all our might for our province."

Raif Mair

I never thought I'd say this but I love Raif Mair. At last someone who tells it like it really is!

Northern pipeline

I'm going to stick my neck out and think outside the box. I'm following Raif's methodology to go with my guts rather than scholarship. I firmly believe the Enbridge pipeline is a smokescreen. Both levels of government have got us so focused on this ugly piece of industrial planning, that we may be missing the real objective. Governments and the oil people are not stupid. They know full well they have one hell of a battle on their hands to build this line. And they also know it will be stalled for years in litigation and protest. So what is REALLY happening?
Maybe look for the possibility of paralleling an existing line to by-pass any environmental study. TCP has now got a contract to build and operate a gas pipeline to Kitimat. Is it possible that a new type of gas pipeline can be converted to take the tar sands bitumen? If so, we could be snookered into believing it is for natural gas.
Maybe I'm paranoid, but somehow I can't believe our federal government wouldn't make such an astounding commitment to China without an ace up their sleeve.
Due diligence, people.

Good comment Rafe and others but...

I have a real problem with comments like, Questing's "The notion that the NDP will save the environment is a pipe dream at best." There has never been a CCF or NDP federal government and the federal governments sets all the major rules under which a a provincial government must play. Cut a free trade deal to move capital at will and the corporations gains the upper hand with the ability to launch a capital strike.

In B.C. we have had 13 years in total of NDP government with the other 100 plus under investor-friendly or pro business governments. (Read Governments for and by the corporations)

The growth at all costs mentality has been with us for a very long time and now that resources are dwindling and understood to be finite we suddenly realize that growth by selling off the kids futures is really dumb. Would a few more NDP governments have done better? Well if Brian Mulroney hadn't been elected, things might well have been different. Yes we would not have had the FTA. If Harper had not received his majority the environment would certainly not have been at risk as it is now. Hell that would have been the case if the Liberals had replaced Harper.

What?

They treat their own province like a cesspool,why do you think you're just going to be a leaky sewer pipe?

Growth, but who benefits?

The pipeline will add to Canada's GDP, but what exactly will be the contribution? Virtually nothing in BC. Even in Alberta few jobs will exist 10 years from now when the building is all done and they are merely mining the bitumen. With the royalty scheme in place, little will go to the province. Most will go to shareholders - 70% who live outside Canada. We take all the risk, they get most of the money.

With the increased production over the years, the $ CDN will stay high, making most other businesses uncompetitive. The rest of the economy will stagnate. Aside from the danger, which is mostly in BC since that is where all the difficult terrain is and the dangerous tanker routes, other costs are too high to go all out on tar sands exploitation. Perhaps continue at the current pace? Expand as fast as the multinationals want - no way.

We are fortunate that the combination of activism - Occupy, Quebec students - and Harper environmentalism occurred at the same time. If we can persuade many of our fellow citizens to take up their pans and wooden spoons and stand against those who would put our land and water in peril of long term contamination, we can slow and perhaps even reverse the Harper environmental mindset.

Lets hope that the NDP, when it wins the next election, keeps it commitment to the environment even when it costs a few union jobs. That is, lets hope they govern as if they were elected by all the people, not just union members.

That is, lets hope they are not Clark NDPers. That Dix has learned something since he was 2IC to Clark.

oil & gas

I enjoyed the column, especially the part about your birthday party attendees. I never thought I'd agree with you on anything but am now a devoted reader. That you would devote yourself to the enviornment in your latter yrs is commendable.

The B.C. government is listening. They just don't care. Its their way or no way. Some people just don't want to believe the earth can come to an end as we know it because it is so polluted.

Most of these people have not studied history. You only need to read about civilizations which florished & then disappeared because of a lack of water.

Air & water are 2 things esential to life. We can live without the oil & gas but not clean drinking water.

I do wonder why Stevie slime is so adament about dancing to China's tune? What is it they have on him that he would care more about them than his Canada? The agreements he signed with China makes Canada responsible for any damage to the Chinese assets in Canada. A most peculair agreement. Under usual circumstances I'd say, gee this is Canada, nothing goes really wrong here. Or does Steve slime & China expect such massive revolt about the distruction of the enviornment that China wants to ensure the Canadian government pays them for their losses or the government sends in troops to repress its own citizens.

KD Brown

Oil Spills In Alberta: 1970 - 2012
http://www.seankheraj.com/?p=1050
http://www.seankheraj.com/?p=1257

think of it as a pageant

http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/06/06/alberta-counter-terror-unit-set-up-to-protect-the-oil-sands-by-federal-tories/