Now is the time…
Why now? Because we don't have a lot of time left to make a difference. 2023 was the hottest year on record and what will 2024 bring?
So far, our winter in Squamish has been exceptionally mild with little snowpack and we are surrounded by forest.
The 2023 wildfire season was the most destructive in BC’s recorded history: more than 2.84 million hectares of forest and land burned. Are we next?
There are many reasons to block the proposed Fortis BC and Woodfibre projects but another reason just came up, a blatant careless attitude by polluters.
In mid-January 2024 there were two incidents of “problems" at fossil fuel facilities in Metro Vancouver.
One was in Burnaby at the Parkland fuel refinery where the “problem” resulted in the release of gases with many area residents reporting impacts to their health and wellbeing.
There is no information about the levels of sulphur dioxide or carcinogens in the accidental release that blanketed Vancouver.
Then there was the Delta FortisBC facility that was releasing a controlled amount of gas when a secondary leak was detected.
It was hours before FortisBC made a public statement and in the meantime there was stress and panic among Lower Mainland residents and first responders.
FortisBC stated they cannot alert customers regarding leaks as they don’t know the wind direction. Poor excuse. Why were they releasing gas in the first place?
Is this the company we trust to build and maintain a high-pressure pipeline through our community including two residential sub-divisions?
The people of Squamish know that the climate emergency has arrived.
There are no benefits to having a problematic fossil fuel industry on our doorstep for the next 40 years endangering our health and the health of Howe Sound.
The Biden Administration in the U.S. has put a pause on pending decisions regarding the export of LNG. It is time for Canada to show some leadership
Decades ago, people didn’t know about the dangers of expanding the fossil fuel industry but today we can only pretend we don’t know. It’s time to say “NO" to fossil fuel expansion.
For opportunities for action go to myseatosky.org/.
Click on the red TAKE ACTION button at the top. For further action, call or write our MP Patrick Weiler or MLA Jordan Sturdy and request that any permits for the proposed Woodfibre LNG and FortisBC projects be cancelled.
Deirdre Goodwin
Squamish
