Letters to the Editor
LangleyAdvance
Fort Langley
Tuesday, February 4, 2014
A7
Coulter Berry unforgettable
ed if we simply followed the rules that have Dear Editor, been there for years. Why is it today we The Coulter Berry… we will never forget have to question everything and demand that name! our own way? Now the subject of changing existing I think it is rooted in the theories of today bylaws has been broached – at least that that “I and what I want” comes first. is the proper approach. But will the mayor and council actually listen to Letters I suggest that Mayor Jack Froese not waste more of our tax dollars what the people are saying? to the by appealing, accept this defeat graI want to express appreciation for ciously, and if he must, then go the the group that stood up against the way of legally changing the bylaws unlawful alteration and took it to – if that is the will of the people. court. I was impressed by the graEditor I am not for changing them, as cious letter they posted in each of they are what has kept Fort Langley the Fort Langley mailboxes, expressunique and will protect us in the future. ing their sincere concern for the builder I would also like to suggest that we preand this whole situation that came about pare for the upcoming election by electing a through poor governance by our council. completely new council to represent us. These are kind of folks we need to be We voters must see beyond the promises, active in our Township: people of ethics; to evaluate leanings and tendencies. people who will not be swayed by financial gain. And I know that there are many of us Lois Hooks, Fort Langley – generally the silent majority – who are [Note: A fuller version of this letter and behind them. others are online at www.langleyadvance. This whole mess would have been avoidcom. Click on Opinion.]
Langley Township
Floodplain no place for development
Dear Editor, Scientific evidence presented to the Salmon River Enhancement Society at its May 2013 Forum concluded that continued paving over the Salmon River Watershed only enhances floodplain
problems in Fort Langley. The proposed development by the Wall corporation, supported by the Township of Langley and Trinity Western University, along the Salmon River will contribute to floodplain
Traffic safety
Skip coffee and live longer
Dear Editor, This is to the woman driving like a maniac in a white Jeep-like vehicle – speeding, riding my bumper, then passing my vehicle on a solid line – northbound on 213th Street between 93rd and 96th Avenues, in the area of the dog park, on Thursday, Jan. 30, at about 7:50 a.m. What was more disgusting was to later see her vehicle in the Tim Hortons drive-through line-up, and then she caught up to me again, much farther west on 96th Avenue. If you are in such a hurry, instead of endangering the lives of others, skip the Tim Hortons and learn to manage your time better in the mornings. Sylvia Taylor, Langley
problems in Fort Langley and fish habitat degradation in the Salmon River. Thus the Wall-TWU development proposal is strongly opposed by the Salmon River Enhancement Society, myself, and all resident fish in the Salmon River. The irony is that a distant third party, Metro Vancouver, must represent the interests of Langley Township residents, while the Township of Langley represents the interests of a wealthy Vancouver developer. Dr. Don J. DeVoretz, Aldergrove [Dr. DeVoretz is a Research Fellow, IZA, Bonn, Germany, and Professor Emeritus in the Department of Economics at Simon Fraser University.]
Energy
Surviving LNG tanker proves nothing Dear Editor, Terry Brenan’s comments about tankers proving safe and that all is not lost [Tankers proving safe for LNG, Jan 7, Letters, Langley Advance] is another example of one small part of the story. Two ships colliding at sea with no LNG leak proves nothing. That is like saying that, because you survived a fender-bender in a Tim Hortons parking lot, you don’t need to wear your seatbelt, and airbags aren’t required at all. Man’s machines break, and when they do, something else is all too often damaged in the process. This holds especially true for pipelines, and for every single ship carrying oil, LNG, or coal, as the millions of ships at the bottom of the sea already attest. And when they do spill – they always do – how effective are the contingency plans, how effective are the repairs, and do the real repair costs ever get paid? The hysteria around pipelines and tankers diverts our attention from the real issues. The oil industry standard for a successful cleanup is a meagre 15 per cent. The levels of polycyclic aromatic hydro-
carbons (PAH) in the Athabasca River sediment are 2.5-23 times what they were in 1960 before the largest environmental catastrophe on earth was created. That is up to 90 kilometres downstream in another formerly pristine ecosystem. The particulate fallout in the snow in the surrounding area from the smokestacks is equivalent to a major oil spill per year. The local aboriginal people are being told not to drink the water, and are experiencing rising cancer and suicide rates. So what does Prime Minister Harper do for the First Nations in the Athabasca region? They send in bottled water, yet another scourge on our environment. I can’t wait to see what happens when they send in the canned salmon. We need to look at oil as the alternative energy source, not the other way around. Danny A. Halmo, Langley [Note: A fuller version of this letter is online at www.langleyadvance.com. Click on Opinion, or search the writer’s name.] For more letters to the editor visit... www.langleyadvance.com – Click on Opinion.
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