A10 • www.vicnews.com
EDITORIAL
Wednesday, June 5, 2013- SAANICH
NEWS
Penny Sakamoto Group Publisher Kevin Laird Editorial Director Edward Hill Editor Oliver Sommer Advertising Director
The SAANICH NEWS is published by Black Press Ltd. | 818 Broughton St., Victoria, B.C. V8W 1E4 | Phone: 250-381-3484 • Fax: 250-386-2624 • Web: www.vicnews.com
OUR VIEW
Greater Victoria: boring but busy T
he tongue-in-cheek Boring Awards declared Victoria the fourth most boring city in Canada. Not only is Victoria dull, but its an underachiever in dullness. Ottawa was ranked the No. 1 most boring city, which is inhabited by even more bureaucrats than this region. With a little work (or not) Victoria could elevate itself to be the most boring place in the country. And that’s OK – boring is safe and steady. Not boring are near-riots every Saturday night as nightclubs let out, like in Vancouver; gangland shootings like in Surrey; and being ruled over by a chaotic administration like in Toronto (Rob Ford earned the Least Boring Canadian award). That kind of action is good for journalists, and bad for everyone else. Labelling Victoria as boring can be justified. It can be tough to find a good restaurant open after 9 p.m., which is the same time as when much of the downtown shuts down. The city once held a number of colourful 24-hour or late-night diners and coffee shops, and had a vigorous nightlife. Not so much in the past two decades. On the other hand, the region is so crammed with outdoor festivals, fairs, farmers markets, concerts and sporting events, it’s hard to find a weekend to relax. Just in the past few weekends we’ve had the Highland Games, the Luxton Pro Rodeo, the Oak Bay Tea Party, festivities at the University of Victoria with Congress 2013, the Goddess Run and the Bastion Grand Prix cycle races. Residents still have a big Canada Day party to look forward to, Buccaneer Days, the Buskers Festival, the Chalk Art Festival, Symphony Splash, the Saanich Fair, HarbourCats baseball, Highlanders soccer and Shamrocks lacrosse. Big celebrities and bands are coming here now – Sting and Jerry Seinfeld recently; Kiss and John Cleese in upcoming months. No longer do we peer across the water at Vancouver with envy. So is Victoria boring? If you’re looking to party until 6 a.m. or find a bistro at 2 a.m., yes, most likely. If you’re a family or a senior, the city can be boring and not boring in just the right doses. What do you think? Give us your comments by e-mail: editor@saanichnews.com or fax 250-386-2624. All letters must have a name and a telephone number for verification. The SAANICH NEWS is a member of the British Columbia Press Council, a self-regulatory body governing the province’s newspaper industry. The council considers complaints from the public about the conduct of member newspapers. If talking with the editor or publisher does not resolve your complaint about coverage or story treatment, you may contact the B.C. Press Council. Your written concern, with documentation, should be sent to B.C. Press Council, 201 Selby St., Nanaimo, B.C. V9R 2R2. For information, phone 888-687-2213 or go to www.bcpresscouncil.org.
2009 WINNER
Enbridge pipeline isn’t dead yet O
lel set of hearings, which was the ne of Premier Christy Clark’s NDP’s stated preference, but in no first tasks of the new term circumstance does the province will be to resume trade talks have a veto. And the B.C. with Alberta and SaskatchLiberal government and ewan. Enbridge were careful to Several daunting tasks leave the door open for await. Clark must repair further talks. relations with Alberta PreA closer reading of mier Alison Redford after their comments shows B.C.’s theatrics over oil that the key difference at pipelines before the electhis stage is one of timtion, and prepare for the ing. results of a federal envi“The panel must deterronmental review of the mine if it is appropriate Enbridge Northern GateTom Fletcher to grant a certificate for way proposal in the fall. B.C. Views the project as currently Some people were surproposed on the basis prised on Friday when the of a promise to do more study and B.C. government released its final planning after the certificate is written submission to the federal granted,” Lake said. “Our governenvironmental review panel on ment does not believe that a certifiNorthern Gateway. It was widely cate should be granted before these interpreted as B.C.’s outright rejecimportant questions are answered.” tion of the project, but it’s not as According to Enbridge executive simple as that. Janet Holder, those important quesClark and B.C. Environment Mintions can’t all be answered until the ister Terry Lake signalled several hearings are over. The company times before the election that they maintains that every river crosswere not getting the answers they ing and spill response plan can’t be wanted from Enbridge. But they done in detail during the two-year stuck to the principle that the hearhearings. ings must be completed. B.C.’s final submission runs to The NDP repeated for months nearly 100 pages. It goes into detail that the B.C. Liberal government on the inconsistencies and unanhad forfeited its own review and swered questions on such vital tophanded jurisdiction over the enviics as whether diluted bitumen can ronmental assessment to Ottawa. In fact, a pipeline that runs across sink in water. In short, the province argues that two provinces is by definition a it can sink if the oil is in fresh water, matter of federal jurisdiction. B.C. or if it is exposed to weathering so could have held its own paral-
lighter fractions evaporate, or if it is mixed with sediments that increase its density. These are pertinent conditions if heavy oil were to leak into a river in springtime, when water runs fast and cold and brown with sediment. Then there are the obstacles presented by responding to a spill in remote wilderness and heavy snow. Given both provincial and aboriginal opposition in B.C., the Enbridge pipeline is unlikely to be imposed, and last week Conservative cabinet minister James Moore clearly ruled that out. The B.C. government has consistently maintained that the current project does not meet Clark’s often-repeated five conditions, including the vaguely defined “fair share” of revenues, and Moore said the federal government agrees with those conditions. The B.C. government has to face some other uncomfortable realities as well. If heavy oil pipelines are such a risk, how does B.C. manage the one that has stretched across remote and populated areas for 60 years? Does the government take a stand against new pipelines, and then watch as rail cars full of heavy oil cross those same rivers? No permit is required for that, and in fact there are more hazardous materials than oil moving by rail and road across the province today. –Tom Fletcher is legislative reporter and columnist for Black Press
‘The B.C. Liberal government and Enbridge were careful to leave the door open’