LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
- December 12, 2006
To The Editor;
As a citizen of world (as we all are), I felt that it is important to voice my concerns and take the time to express my opinion as we each represent one hundred other similar opinions. The issues surrounding the Princeton Wood Residue and Coal Power Generation Project should not only concern the immediate surrounding areas (Princeton specifically) but all citizens of this great province of British Columbia, Canada, the USA, and also our international neighbours.
Remember, we human beings do not own this world, but we are merely custodians. We are here for our mere short existence to look after, preserve, protect, cultivate, explore, enjoy and appreciate this legacy while some or many may have self-serving motives and goals that they may pursue while they are here, most of us, I would like to believe, would like to leave this earth knowing that they have actually made some effort in making their time here worthwhile, that they have actually impacted the world, as a whole, in a positive way.
As we explore the viability of this project, it is important to ask ourselves: Does the end justify the means? Remember, For every action, there is an opposite and equal reaction or something like that - the point is - we have to be aware of the consequence of every decision and choice we make, at least that is what we like to instill in our children. Moving forward, is that not what we want to be doing, learning from past mistakes, past experiences? We want to build on previous experiences and say to ourselves: "We sure do not want that to happen again" or "How stupid was that?" I am so glad I know better now and also I am glad I am alive in this day and age, and not back then, when they didn't know better. Do we want our grand and great grand children to say these things or do we want them to say "We are sure glad they looked after our resources and environment so that we can enjoy a better quality of life, free of disease, contamination, birth defects, and many health and environmental issues?"
Why are we so determined to go backwards on this issue? Have we not learned anything? Are we so greedy that we have to compromise our ethics, offer up our citizens as collateral damage for any amount of dollars? Are we that hard up that we are not considering the ramifications of pursuing this option - actually option is the operative word here - because I am sure our think tank can come up with some very positive alternatives if in fact that is what we truly desire.
I have always believed that we are just one generation removed from the Duh! caveman like persons just one generation of uneducated, un-enlightened, disinterested, complacent, apathetic, or even self-serving persons that could not, or will not take the time to become aware, to research or study or even ask questions.
Basically be not even interested in what is going on in their own backyard. One does not even have to think globally, they just have talk with their neighbour, car pool buddies, office associates, family members, about what their slant is on the goings on in their own little world, like their own community, their own country and the world in general.
Having always maintained the attitude that the world does not owe us a living or even a lifestyle, that in fact, we are all responsible in making our own way as long as we have the health, resources and opportunity. For those that cannot, we are responsible to be aware of those in need and we are obligated to share and provide them with a semblance of care that reflects the ability of our society and culture. Other than that we should prepare ourselves and our children to anticipate several career changes in our lifetime to accommodate technological, social, and environmental demands. We somehow have come to expect our resources to continue to provide us with continued employment. Well it does not work like that. We have to find alternative solutions in providing ourselves ongoing employment.
Certain industries are going to be obsolete, possibly the forest industry, maybe mining, maybe the fishing industry and, on and on.
Are we going to demand from our government, to provide and guarantee us with employment to hold the rest of the population hostage and hold strikes, and blockades because we are not happy with our lot in life? Well, get a life and like the rest of us find a solution for yourself. I call it recycling yourself. We all have to do it some time or another, which leads us to the current issues in our own backyard.
The Princeton Wood Residue and Coal Power Generation Project:
The government's claim that our need for energy that coal-fired power can supply out weights the environmental harm it may create. Does this not contradict Canada's commitment to reduce emission of gases from fossil fuels? Re: Kyoto Protocol?
I have to admit that I do have vested interest in this issue as a baby boomer looking forward to retirement, and as have many like me, have been looking around and trying to figure out where we are able to pour our limited resources and still maintain a somewhat healthy retirement. We already know we cannot retire on the west coast for obvious reasons. Who can these days with properties being close to if not over the million-dollar mark? Oh, how I have fallen in love with the Interior over the years.
Wonderful memories come to mind as I have experienced many weeks and months over as many years.
My husband's parents chose to recreate and have their vacations over the years on one of the surrounding lakes. A wonderful cabin that is still there, witnessed his family of six siblings and their many summer holidays of swimming, fishing, mountain biking and in general just plain relaxing at this wonderful little enclave of like-minded neighbours. Of course as my husband grew to adulthood, his ongoing love affair with the area continued and eventually of course I was introduced to the lifestyle that the Princeton area has to offer. From its many pristine lakes and abundance of fish that they hold, to the many hills, mountains and valley where you have unlimited opportunities to hike, bike, boat, fish and what ever other activities that turn your crank and get you to the great out doors Princeton has it all make no mistake, you will never regret hanging your hat on one of its trees. We as a close to retiring couple have chosen to invest our time and finances in spending our senior years in this area. We have bought our property at the going rate which of course is crazy high....
We want to secure our future. I always have contended that Princeton is a Jewel in the Raw. It has not been yet discovered by the masses, but I truly believe build it and they will come! They will bring with them the need for that infrastructure that will sustain a vital and thriving community. And this will bring its own reward: employment, sense of community, culture, and tourism. It sort of self-perpetuates, so to speak I had hoped that we all shared the same vision, not just for this area but many other areas across the country. Let us preserve rather than destroy or settle for something less than the best this project will be the beginning of the undoing of any forward and ongoing effort not only in providing us higher quality of life but also in our search for more efficient ways of producing the necessary energy that we need or better way of putting it, want to sustain the standard of living that we have come to expect. Do we really believe that this project will provide the necessary vehicle to enhance not only our province but even on a more local and regional level, our community? For the few jobs it will create, is the sacrifice worth it? Our health, the health of future generations, is that worth it?
We have already heard also that if this project comes to fruition, half of our health professionals will probably mass exodus out of the area these folks are not stupid, they know what the ramifications mean. Certainly there will be no real estate boom. Well be wanting to sell and hopefully find some little corner where somebody actually cares. As for you that choose to bury your heads in the sand, for whatever reason (listen council members, politician, government), at least open your self to learn about and research this issue only then I can respect your votes and your representation.
Otherwise I have to believe you have your own agenda at heart and not that of the general population.
We already know that 74% or more of British Columbians reject this plan why are we still considering it and moving on this? Are we in fact, creating another industry for export? Is that what this is all about? Sending this resource elsewhere (USA) what does that benefit us here in BC? Certainly not any significant employment - don't for one minute believe that it will save us from the unemployment wolf. If we ourselves in Canada need the new power source, let's find alternatives and quickly.
Let's Ask Ourselves:
- What is my personal mandate as a citizen of the world, country and community?
- Am I purposely being indifferent because I am so preoccupied with my own personal agenda?
- Am I here to help create a solution to a very real problem or am I going to add to the problem?
- How can I, and my family make a difference for the good?
Dear Princeton / British Columbia / Canada. please don't fall asleep on this. Pick up a pen, get on your computer, knock on your governments door and definitely shout: I'm mad as hell, and I will not take it anymore! GET THE INFO!
Heres a good one:
http://www.bcsea.org/policy/files/BCSEA-2006Sep-Coal%20Fact%20Sheet.pdf Do we want this area to be the armpit of BC, where people will just drive thru the area without taking an opportunity to enjoy it's offerings? Believe me, it will once again become a depressed, uncared for town where nobody gives a crap! Do we want to live in Pottersville or Bedford Falls (It's A Wonderful Life)?
I challenge all of us to do better, make yourselves proud and do not let yourselves be bought off! Please check out this most informative site and see what you can do.
Respectfully, P. Wylie Eaton, Princeton
To The Editor:
In response to 'Letter to the Editor' December 5 issue from Karin Green A new word for the dictionary: 'Karinism' - a broad brush painting of a group of people who are opposed to her opinion.
I find your letters insulting to the people of Princeton and the Similkameen Valley, be it about coal-fired plants, marmots or deer. They all have the same tone, critical of anyone who takes a visible public stand, in front of people, not hiding behind a letter to the editor.
You insult, criticize, judge and demean anyone who doesn't agree with you. Do you attend meetings just so you can complain and throw around insults afterwards via a letter to the editor? Not everyone opposed to your opinion has the attitude you have painted everyone with. From what I can tell, as far as you're concerned anyone who doesn't agree with you is uninformed and against all progress.
Get real Karin!!
Your question: "If not Compliance Energy then what?" What!!!!! Do you have such a low opinion of yourself that you are willing to take whatever scraps are offered to you, at any cost, are you so desperate? Would you purchase an unsafe car in disrepair, and put your family in it just because it would keep your mechanic in business????? Does your car have an exhaust system or do you let the emissions seep to the inside? Do you purchase old appliances with old technology plugs just to keep the repair shops and fire department in business? Are you even aware that we live in a valley, did you notice this summer that we were socked in for weeks from the smoke of a fire just south of the border?
Have you bothered to search out the satellite imagery of how the smoke traveled in the valley? It doesn't matter that the mine site is 14kms away and above us by a few hundred feet, the emissions will travel down the valley right across Princeton, Hedley, Keremeos, Oliver, Osoyoos, it made its way into Penticton, Kaleden, OK Falls, Jura, Jellicoe, and around and around. The smoke stayed with us in the valley, we were breathing it, that's what the emissions would be doing from the coal-fired plant, sitting right on top of us.
How about our weather inversions? Go to www.rdos.bc.ca and click on burning permits to read about this. I'm not saying the emissions would be visible like the forest fire smoke of this summer, the emissions in question are not visible, they are poison. Did you notice the size of the fly ash, from this summer's fires, the size of whole pine needles, it managed to travel over to Princeton, particulate matter emissions from coal-fired plants are a whole lot smaller and would definitely be in the valley. It's interesting how someone of your obvious intelligence would miss that.
Speaking of Highway 3 as you did, do you not think that trucks loaded with coal headed to the Similco mine site 24/7 would not place wear and tear on the highways - where do you live, would they be roaring by your place day and night? I can hardly wait for your letter to the editor on that!!
Here's another letter to the editor suggestion for you, 1) Three Town of Princeton councilors accepting an expense paid trip to 4 coal-fired plants in Alberta (which was in the prairies last time I checked and is totally different than our valley airshed) which by the way none of which were even Compliance plants. Why not? What do you think Compliance is trying to hide? What about the fact that Compliance isn't giving any real answers to any questions on emissions, have they not been in business long enough to know, if they don't know, we certainly shouldn't encourage them to practice on us. Even car manufacturers can tell us what the mileage of a new car will be. They don't tell us that we'll have to drive it first, and we know enough not to sit in a confined space breathing in the exhaust.
I am proud of (in your words) our high profile members of the community' taking a stand. They recognize the health of the citizens, and the environment of the valley far outweighs the money that you are so desperate to benefit from. How much money, Karin? What do you stand to gain from this plant coming into town? You go on and on about jobs and people, do you own a business, are you a landlord? I wonder what you will gain? Compliance says up to 200 construction jobs till the plant is built, do you not realize that contractors travel with their own crews then they are gone, then how many jobs? Compliance has given numbers as low as 20! For actual plant jobs, it will probably be much less, they will definitely bring in their own people leaving what? And why can't they be certain on that either? Do you have your own small children, I don't think you should be trading the health of someone else's children for a handful of jobs. From the content of your letter to the editor you have even sacrificed your own friendships over your opinion. A little harsh isn't it?
What ever happened to freedom of speech, we are all entitled to our opinions even if they don't agree with yours!!
Where did you come from, why did you come here? Was it for the clean air, the scenery, the real estate? How do you know Princeton has grown old in the three scant years you have lived here? It's no different than any other small town that thrived in its early days. Do you shop locally in Princeton or out of town? When businesses in the city come and go, who even notices, it's because Princeton is so small and everything is noticed?
Who would you consider unbiased Karin? Who would you consider good enough to present information about emissions to the people of Princeton? Not Compliance Energy surely, not the Liberals, who then? How about a group of concerned citizens who live here in the valley (SOS and Friends of the Similkameen) and are collecting tons of information to deliver to the public, if your opinion is that they are independently wealthy, than that is another 'Karinism' - a broad brush painting of a group of people who are opposed to her opinion. These local residents whom you are slamming who are from a variety of backgrounds have more heart and are more trustworthy than a huge corporation who is trying to come in and exploit us, Compliance stands to make a boatload of money, or how about the Liberals who took a $900,000 campaign donation from the coal and coal-fired generation industry?
Are you going to trust them?!!!! Hopefully the people who are waiting to be handed information will take advantage of the combined knowledge from all their research, those people who are saying "I need more information."
Karin, where are you getting your information that is telling you that this plant will be safe, when Compliance doesn't even know that? I think they know but they don't want to tell us, and the government standards are so low that they just may qualify to poison our valley. My www sources tell me something much different, my sources are alarming, and you know what, some are even our own government sites.
Why do you think there are so many worldwide environmental groups out there?
Even government environment protection groups. The global warming is a fact or don't you believe that either? The world used to be clean, but mankind has created global warming and all of the experts all over the globe are telling us that.
What are your credentials, Karin? Is everyone wrong except for you? We need to start heeding the experts on global warming and do something about it, why would BC all of a sudden want to contribute to global warming? It's all about money, Karin!!
Why is our council split on this? How do you expect a town to be united if council isn't? Three Princeton councilors went for an expense paid trip, paid for by Compliance, saw some coal-fired plants that weren't even Compliance plants and they come back singing the praises of Compliance. How can anyone think anything else except they were bought by Compliance or else so weak-minded that they allowed themselves to be brainwashed.
Why are they so dedicated to Compliance? How can you even trust them anymore?
What happened here? Take a minute to think about this and see it for what it is.
You're trying to influence public opinion through intimidation, insults and manipulation. I'm all for freedom of speech and opinion and I don't like to be insulted or criticized for mine.
I for one am tired of your insults towards the people of Princeton and the Similkameen Valley.
- Aurora Cole, Keremeos
To The Editor;
Merry Christmas and Best Wishes to everyone in the Princeton area. Thanks to you all, we have had another great year.
In 2006 we purchased a pressure relief mattress for Princeton General Hospital, three Lift Chairs for Ridgewood Lodge, gave $2,000.00 for medical education, donated $1,000.00 to the Terry Fox Run, and in November we approved the donation of $10,000.00 toward the purchase of new beds for the Princeton General Hospital. Other smaller contributions have been made throughout the year to help out the community.
At the Hospital Auxiliary Thrift Store our last day of business before the holidays will be Friday, December 15, and we will reopen in the new year on Wednesday January 3. PLEASE, PLEASE do not leave any donations during this time, as our members are taking a much needed break and there will be no one to bring in and sort donations during this period.
We are looking forward to 2007, and the continued support of all our generous donors.
Seasons Greeting to all,
June Manning, President
Princeton Hospital Auxiliary
