An Open Letter , Dec 23/2009
Text of an Open Letter sent to Politicians and Media in December 2009
An Open Letter,
Jimmy Stewart played many characters memorable for their passion and idealism during his remarkable career.
Who can forget the young and idealistic Mr. Smith's filibuster as he fought the back-room politics in Washington that threatened to prevent establishing a boy’s camp in favor of a dam that was to line the pockets of the reigning power brokers?
Or how about George Bailey as he railed against Mr. Potter saying,
"You sit around here and you spin your little webs and you think the whole world revolves around you and your money. Well, it doesn't, Mr. Potter. In the whole vast configuration of things, I'd say you were nothing but a scurvy little spider. "
We desperately need that kind of passion, idealism and integrity today in South Delta.
Just like the beautiful little town of Bedford Falls we are in grave danger of turning into Pottersville.
First it was power lines, the South Perimeter Road and container port expansions among other contentious issues and now tucked away in the December 16th Delta Optimist, an article revealing a major garbage incinerator facility being proposed for the Tsawwassen First Nation land.
I find it interesting that the proposal was revealed with little fanfare at a time when most people are distracted by holiday plans. Any magician knows he must conceal the trickery of his right hand by distracting you with his left.
What's the need for trickery?
What is it that we the public don't know, that we should?
What's at stake?
I'm afraid a great many things. Things that once lost can, never be recovered. Things as fundamental as our environment, our community, our health, our livleyhoods and our confidence that our democratic process will protect us from the scurvy spiders of the world.
I'm concerned because the proposed incinerator, being touted as a waste to energy facility could potentially burn-up to 500,000 tonnes of waste per year which means close to 1,400 tonnes of toxic waste will be imported by sea and traveling the roads and rails through Delta and other communities in the lower mainland each and every day.
This toxic waste is unlikely to be limited to household garbage, but would include toxic industrial waste such as PCBs and other highly dangerous compounds.
Empty assurances that the plant will introduce minimal particulate matter to the air do not allay my concerns regarding air quality or any of the other associated risks related to transporting and incinerating tonnes of toxic waste.
South Delta is located in one of the most fragile and endangered eco-systems in the province. It is home to the Reifel Bird Sanctuary, a vital resting place for migratory birds, the Burns Bog, which serves as the lungs of the lower mainland and of course the Fraser River, which is a critical salmon habitat. South Delta is also home to some of the richest farmland in the province.
Even if I believed the assurances that the incinerator presents no environmental risk, I also believe that human error is inevitable. There will be a toxic spill, there will be equipment failures, there will be emissions and there will be consequences. The potential and irreparable damage that can ensue will be of an astounding magnitude. Spills or damage will not be contained to the land surrounding the incinerator, which is to be situated on land next to the ocean near the outflow of the Fraser River, and adjacent to heritage rich farmland.
South Delta is a low lying area. So much so that in winter, the water table in the farmer's fields is actually at ground level. A toxic spill in South Delta would be like peeing in a pool.
And with contamination comes the potential collapse of the agricultural industry in Delta. Would you buy blueberries potentially contaminated with industrial waste?
Responsible stewardship of this environment and the communities and businesses that surround it means that we have to err on the side of safety and stop this project.
Before you write this off as just another a case of NIMBYism, you need to understand this waste is going to be transported through the highest density communities and most sensitive ecosystems in the province. It has no place anywhere in the lower mainland.
We obviously have to deal with the issues surrounding waste management, but there are better locations for this than the highly populated Lower Mainland. If incinerators must be a part of the waste management equation, they should be situated in less populated, drier and less ecologically active areas, where damage could be more easily contained than on a wet delta beside the ocean.
So who is taking care of our community while this project is quietly being ushered in though back room channels without appropriate scrutiny?
Well, I suspect that no one is. Experience in South Delta has taught us that common sense, the best interests of the community and our elected representatives in the democratic process are not enough to protect us.
The proposal is promoted by scurvy little spiders, backed by BIG money, and plenty of self-interest. When you hear someone supporting this project, I suggest you ask yourself, "Why? What's in it for them?"
This incinerator is a virtual certainty if our community does not stand up and fight the good fight. And even that might not be enough.
As Jimmy Stewart's character Jefferson Smith said:
"All you people don't know about lost causes. Mr. Paine does. He said once they were the only causes worth fighting for. And he fought for them once, for the only reason any man ever fights for them; because of just one plain simple rule: 'Love thy neighbor.'... And you know that you fight for the lost causes harder than for any other. Yes, you even die for them.”
We must take a stand, and we need a champion to lead us. I don't know who that is. Do you know someone uniquely qualified to take on the job? Someone who knows how to successfully navigate the halls of power, and make things happen?
If not, we must rise out of our own lives and concerns to protect our community ourselves.
Merry Christmas,
Anne Melnyk
