Earlier this year, Sun Peaks mayor Al Raine travelled to Whistler to represent Sun Peaks at the annual Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) conference.
One of the hot-button issues discussed was Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain Pipeline. Unlike the Northern Gateway Pipeline, which would run through northern B.C., the Trans Mountain Pipeline will pass right by Sun Peaks. The current proposal even includes a terminal and a four-unit pumping station in Kamloops.
The $5.4 billion project will build 994 kilometres of new pipeline from Edmonton to Vancouver and will deliver major economic benefits: $2.1 billion in taxes for B.C.; literally thousands of jobs; and around $900 million in property taxes for local governments —including $262 million in the Thompson-Nicola Regional District.
Like any major project, it will be subject to tight environmental regulations and will deliver nationwide and local economic benefits. Due to the metro-centric nature of Provincial government, a lot of that money will likely flow directly to Victoria and Vancouver.
So why did the metropolitan based municipalities lead the (unsuccessful) charge at the UBCM conference to block the Trans Mountain Pipeline?
According to Raine, there seemed to be a disconnect between the metropolitan and regional councillors, centred primarily on the environmental concerns of the city versus the economic benefits to the regions.
I’ve seen this before. Whether it’s Melbourne, Australia, Edinburgh, Scotland or Vancouver, B.C. — city people love nature more than anyone else.
Of course they do.
That’s why they surround themselves with concrete jungles and drive everywhere. It’s why they build apartments instead of having backyards. It’s why they eat “low-mile” food at the Friday night markets, and carbon-offset their Starbucks.
Never mind that it’s regional farms that grow the food for city consumption, or mines that provide the components for their hybrid cars and iPhones, or any of the other resources which contribute to the growth and development of metropolitan areas.
The reality many city-dwellers seem to forget is that regional people love nature. It’s why we live so close to it. In Sun Peaks we get to live in one of the most naturally beautiful places on the planet. We choose to live in these beautiful regions because we love them.
Just like I’ve never met a farmer who doesn’t love his animals, I’ve never met a Sun Peaks resident who doesn’t care about the environment.
To metro-residents I say this: Stop trying to cut off our lifelines. Let us have our economically important projects, and let us worry about our own environments. Go back to your double-vegan-soy-frappe-carbon-offset-pumpkin-spice-latte, and your two hour-long commute to work. We’ll be in the mountains, where the real nature is.
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