Ginta — Everything has a price, but that doesn’t make it right

Daniela Ginta writes for A.M. News on Fridays.

COLUMN — The approaching election deadline has turned many a community into a kettle of boiling water. Here in our own otherwise peaceful city, all is well until you mention one of the ardent election issues such as the proposed Ajax mine.

A recent list that classifies candidates into those who oppose the project and those who are waiting for assessments before they can make a decision, has caused an appropriate uproar.

Are corporations supposed to stay out of the election process? Ideally yes, some say, as we all know that money can influence people’s minds. Decisions need to be made without any price tag attached to the thinking process.

Times have been rife with corporation versus citizens issues lately, which would make one think that by default, most corporations do not conduct business in the best and complete interest of a community.

The city of Burnaby initiated a battle with Kinder Morgan by opposing their access through the city parks a while ago, and the battle is far from over, being sustained with incredible stamina by many Simon Fraser University people, some of whom are being sued by the energy giant for millions.

B.C. provincial parks are not safe from being poked at by companies like Kinder Morgan in their effort to expand pipelines, often disregarding citizens’ concerns over the well-being of their community.

Another big corporation, Monsanto, is found in the news every now and then suing either farmers, an entire state or part of it over seed patents. Many are scratching their heads wondering when and how has a corporation come to own so many patents and what sense of fairness can be expected when big economic gain overshadows common sense.

Bayer CropScience is being sued by Ontario beekeepers for producing and distributing an insecticide that causes bees to die in huge numbers. The same corporation is vying to get Health Canada’s approval for another pesticide that has been deemed by independent scientists equally damaging to beneficial insects. Community well-being is not the first that comes to mind when you read the news.

Corporations have existed for a long time and they’ll keep on going just the same, some folding, others expanding and growing. Should we fear that their very presence may cause any ill effects? It depends. If their economic growth is respectful of the community they conduct their business in, be it a city, province or country, and there is an open dialogue that allows both parties to debate and express concerns, and trust is not challenged in any way, why would anyone fear anything?

Unfortunately, trust and accountability are not always topping the list of corporate values. That alone can make a free-thinking citizen wonder whether we are losing a few degrees of freedom every time the next big corporation wants to expand its operations.

Petitions are being signed by hopeful citizens that believe to glean enough power should the right number of people sign and stand by what is right. Which is where things get a bit hairy.

How do we define right and wrong in the age of economic development meant to ensure that a town, city, province or country benefit from it but are not subjected to any side-effects that might take a toll on health and the environment, as that will ultimately increase the costs of living for that specific area, short and long-term.

How do we make sure that whatever project a region is subjected to is profitable to the community in the first place and the well-being of its people, not just a few but all?

These are hard questions that surface often, but they become loud around election time. Whether candidates oppose or support a project proposed by a corporation, it is important for voters like you and me to know what stands behind the said opinion, and, as one would expect, every candidate should have an answer to difficult questions regarding any putative negative consequences of a project, should there be any.

As a mother I make decisions for my sons and whether I like it or not, I am accountable to them for everything I decide, if not now when they are too young to ask why, then later. When the time comes for them to ask why, which I hope they will, I know that a simple ‘Because I thought so’ will not suffice.

Being elected in a position where you speak in the name of a community should work the same way, except at a larger scale. Clarity over issues regarding a community, a long-term vision that proves to be sustainable and respectful to people and the place they live in, and a strong sense of accountability that will never allow for trust to be taken for granted, they all have to count when it comes to voting.

If corporations endorse and/or support certain candidates that would make their interests stand out later on, then those interests better be a reflection of what the community needs in the first place, because in a good, democratic society, the well-being of a community is what counts most of all.

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.