Dear Editor:
Re: Wine Boycott? What This War Needs Is Sober Thought, Feb. 16 The North Side opinion column by Paul Sullivan.
I just wanted to congratulate you, Mr. Sullivan, for your excellent column and clear-headed summation of the issue.
Also, thanks for bringing to our attention that our little tempest in an oily wineglass has also attracted the attention of our fellow wet-coast dwellers south of the border. Kudos to Seattle Post-Intelligencer columnist Joel Connelly for his support and for pointing out that any spill would likely not be restricted to Canadian waters. His suggestion to his Washington readers to consume more B.C. wine is deeply appreciated.
In the midst of all the bluster about the economic benefits to Canada and Alberta taking precedent over the scoffed-at chances of a spill, I think many people might be quite surprised about how the following facts might lend some perspective.
Oil sands only contribute to two per cent of Canada’s gross domestic product. According to a recent Tyee article by Mitchell Anderson, bitumen royalties currently make up only 3.5 per cent of the Alberta budget. This resource rent works out to less than a four per cent return to Alberta taxpayers, one of the world’s lowest oil royalty rate structures. By comparison, Norway taxes oil company revenue at close to 80 per cent. If we are going to compromise our ideals on climate leadership, it should at least be not for such a pittance.
In a world where time is quickly running out for us to curb the behaviours that have brought us to the brink of causing irreversible damage to our precious planet, it just seems insanity for us to be pushing ahead building more infrastructure to increase fossil fuel consumption.
If nothing else, during the transition to other more sustainable energy, let Alberta refine its bitumen at home for Canada’s use where proper environmental controls can minimize the effects on climate rather than exporting it to countries where that isn’t a priority. A former health minister of China, Chen Zhu stated that air pollution in China now kills up to 500,000 people a year, a truly stunning statistic from a senior Chinese government official. In the name of a four per cent return to Alberta taxpayers, is this really something we want to contribute to, at the same time putting our own and our neighbour’s pristine coastlines at risk?
And as for those scoffed-at chances for a spill and our “world class” abilities to respond to them, remember the hopelessly bungled response to the relatively small spill from the MV Marathassa anchored in English Bay in 2015. The case is still mired in legal dispute three years later with the foreign owners dodging responsibility.
I think it’s time to support the cause with a nice glass of B.C. wine. Cheers!
Michael Sherman
North Vancouver
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