Ginta — Pipeline expansions and such – Should we take that pen away before it’s too late?

Daniela Ginta writes for The Armchair Mayor News on Fridays. 

COLUMN — Oh wait, it is too late. As of Oct. 12, the opinion corner that Kinder Morgan kindly supplied, though they were rather quiet about it – as it often happens with some of the oil-related issues – is closed. The company has applied to redesign the boundaries of three provincial parks and a protected grasslands area in order to allow for the expansion of the Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain pipeline running from Alberta to Chilliwack. Right.

The aftermath, if the application is approved? A redesign of four provincial parks by the Texas-based oil giant so that a pipeline could fit well and snug. After that, rest assured that portion of the parks that was dug into will be returned to park status. I almost wrote ‘protected’ but that could be interpreted as sarcasm.

It will be business as usual in the park and we might just settle to sleep a bit better knowing that a pipeline runs through it and our gas-guzzling woes are being taken care of. Yep, just don’t light a fire while you’re camping, because you might just be fined for a bigger bonfire than what you’re allowed to have.

This scenario is so wrong it seems to have been plucked right out of a bad version of an already questionable Earth-survival movie. Except that it is real and if it makes you choke with fury… Well, take it as a good sign: You care.

The next step is taking action but that is not the easiest since information comes to us citizens rather late, and it comes scattered also. You’d think a province-wide referendum with education sessions sponsored by the very government we put our trust in would be cramping our free style at every corner.

How about a country-wide referendum involving people like you and me as well as organizations, corporations and all those who live and work in Canada, regarding a campaign to reduce emissions as promised we will do by our government once upon a time? Not going to happen.

The Prime Minister’s Office will continue to bask in the warmth of the economic growth the oil and gas exploitation bring upon, with no consideration given to how the emissions promise sinks deeper into darkness with every barrel of oil extracted.

The provincial governments cannot take full charge in addressing environmental issues such as country-wide emissions (not that ours is inclined to), which, according to a sobering report by the Commissioner of Environment and Sustainable Development, might be lowered by a humble 7 per cent instead of the promised 17 per cent.

If country-wide is too big for some to worry about then local should do it. Among the four parks that Kinder Morgan has applied to play in with their Alberta/B.C. pipeline expansion, you can find our own Lac Du Bois Grasslands Protected Area. The pipeline has to go through, we were told, so choose: Westsyde or the Grasslands. So the City council chose: it will be the Grasslands (Protected Area).

Feeling sorry for the delicate Mariposa lily already in trouble because cattle find it appetizing, or the already endangered grouse? You should, because they will not have it easy.

But, as supporters of oil, gas and other natural resources-based economic growth will say, we need all of this because we drive cars, we heat our houses with gas and we use cell phones. Fair enough, with a few questions still to be asked and ideally answered too: Are we the first beneficiaries of the bounty our land produces? Is the exploitation done on a need-to basis and in the interest of the province and country, or are these companies coming from foreign lands and simply doing what the word so aptly describes: exploit. Are the environmental standards lined up with our promises made years ago before the oil and gas boom started, promises that will ensure future generations will not inherit a charred plannet instead of a green and blue one?

The Commissioner’s report, pesky as it is for those who could not care less about yet another environmental report and sustainability call to action, states that it is unclear how natural resource exploitation projects will be assessed, environmentally speaking, which, as one could expect, might just allow for another Mount Polley disaster to happen, with other consequences than the natural ones which many will pay for but not the ones who caused it.

Whether it is a provincial park, or four, or an entire country, the possible consequences of any kind of resource exploitation project done with profit in mind but not much else, needs to be addressed objectively and decisions should not be taken lightly or with the promise of economic growth fogging our collective lenses.

We need to demand for everyone, every person, every business, all national and foreign corporations operating in Canada, to be involved in reducing the emissions levels country-wide, and, for the oil, gas and mining projects to be subjected to strict environmental assessments that will ensure the safety of the environment and the health of people.

If you happen to take a stroll through the Grasslands on an evening when the sun sets and the clouds drape pink and yellow all over the wild, tall grass, you might find yourself saying ‘There must be another way, a better one… there must be’.

There is. It’s our responsibility to find it.

Daniela Ginta is a mother, scientist, writer and blogger. She can be reached at daniela.ginta@gmail.com, or through her blog at http://www.thinkofclouds.com.