News Leader News
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
- February 7, 2006
To The Editor;
I feel compelled to write in response to recent newspaper articles - first the Green Party statement from Michael McLean concerning a coal-based industry for our area, and then Brad Hope's reported address to the Princeton Rotary Club.
Both of these messages expressed negativity towards potential development. I believe it is the responsibility of each of us to get accurate information and make our decisions on the basis of that information, not on outdated technology.
We have the possibility of two industries - the methane gas extraction as well as the Compliance Coal Co-Generation Plant proposed for the old mine site. In the case of the methane gas project, the Area H Director, Gerri Logan, organized a public information session with very poor attendance. It appears a small, but 'vocal' group has their mind made up.
In the case of the Compliance Coal Co-Generation project, there is a local representative in the Princeton area who is willing to meet with groups to explain the process and their plans. In meeting with Frank Armitage, he outlined the investment of approximately one hundred million dollars, jobs created for about seventy people, plus construction jobs to build the facility on the existing mine site. These are direct jobs. We can expect downtown businesses to benefit from the spin off created by such a business. We could attract young families to our town, who would enhance our schools, our recreation and hopefully, our hospital.
We would also expand our tax base, to possibly support existing and new projects in the community. Is this something we want to pass us by?
Not too long ago, this community turned down the opportunity for a modern, provincially and federally inspected, environmentally friendly meat processing facility which was proposed for the deer farm property just north of town. In this case a vocal few stopped the plans and the plant was instead built in Westwold.
I had the opportunity to tour the plant in operation and was impressed with the gleaming stainless steel, spotless, state of the art plant.
Let's not let another opportunity pass us by.
- Ernie Willis, Princeton
Dear Editor;
It has truly been an energizing and enriching experience travelling this diverse riding and meeting so many wonderful people while on the campaign trail.
I would first like to thank all those who worked so hard during the election. It is truly an honour for me to be associated with such a committed and dedicated group of individuals.
Now with the election over, I will do my best to represent everyone in BC Southern Interior and look forward to working with our MLAs. local elected officials and others to that end. Together we can make sure that communities in all parts of this huge riding prosper while continuing to reflect that rural quality of life which we all cherish.
My main office will be in Castlegar, but I am also working to ensure that there is a strong presence in the western part of the riding.
Once again, thanks to Jim Gouk and his staff for all of their hard work over the years, and thanks to all of you for your support.
- Alex Atamanenko, MP,
BC Southern Interior
Dear Editor;
The other night I received a randomly dialed phone call from Statistics Canada. My first impulse was to hang up as I usually do with nuisance calls. Maybe it was the young lady's voice, I'm not sure, but in any case I became curious as to the nature of the call. Well, pleasant surprise, she wanted to ask me what I thought about the tourism imbalance, one of my favourite topics. In any case, she being neutral on the issues, promised to send me a questionnaire on the subject. And I, being as opinionated as I am, will gladly comply. Allow me to explain further.
When checking the internet I find that we spend much more on foreign travel residence than is spent by foreign tourists in Canada. I am not an economist but I believe that we should be very concerned. Just think, Canada is bleeding and we are getting poorer each day.
I still feel anger when, pre-election on national TV I saw Stephen Harper making sure that Snowbirds in Florida would be mailed election ballots. "Whoa there," I can hear you say, "we live in a democracy, therefore all Canadians should be given a vote."
My response would be that if these Snowbirds, who earned their wealth in Canada, whose Canadian pensions make their lifestyle possible, who spend as little as possible in Canada in order to live abroad, and who come back to Canada to have their surgeries --- Yes, these same Canadians who complain about higher taxation in Canada while golfing in Florida and Arizona, do not need the rest of us to spend further tax dollars to send them their ballots. If the Snowbirds really want lower taxation in Canada they can come home and vote for the Canada they want. That is my cure for the tourism imbalance!
And by the way, if Snowbird's ballots can be mailed to them, why can't the rest of Canadians receive the same benefit?
Sincerely,
HP Toews, Princeton
Dear Editor;
Two articles in the News Leader of January 24, 2006 are of great interest to those in this community who care about the ongoing pollution of our environment.
On Page 8, "Envirogreen updates council" regarding the wonderful work they are doing. Allow me to quote the poet, "There never was heard a discouraging word."
When I read that they use nothing but the latest technology I was reminded of the recent chicken burn. Ditches were dug and filled with wood waste, the diseased foul were dumped in and the wood was set alight. And this was done just above the river that flows past the town's water supply then on through the farmland in our valley.
Sounds more like caveman technology to me. What was the point of the public relations exercise? Are they getting ready to drop another bombshell?
On page 27 of the same issue under "Town Council backs SVPS" the Similkameen Valley Planning Society asks for a full environmental review regarding the proposed coal-fired electrical generation plant. This has to be a shot in the dark. Our astute provincial government upped the pollution level requirements to make sure that the coal-fired plant gets under the radar.
What can we expect from a government whose first Environment Minister said these, now famous words: "my job is to let industry monitor their own pollution." I assume the inference was that, by polluting they only hurt themselves -- so we should trust them.
Since 2001, the Environment Ministry has been gutted and their pollution concerns have been downloaded to municipalities and regional districts. As a result, we need our town council to look after us, and beware of hucksters
with slick sales pitches.
Let us open our hymn books to "There will be smoke in the valley for me, someday." Also available on tape and CD.
Sincerely,
Bob Egli, Princeton
