Dear Editor:
Unlike many Canadians, I did not get an opportunity to watch the state funeral of NDP leader Jack Layton. I have been to too many funerals lately to feel compelled to attend through television.
However I was deeply moved by something Jack told his son, "Always have a dream that's longer than a lifetime. . Don't let anyone tell you it can't be done."
"It can't be done," is exactly what every elected official tells me when I suggest the possibility of transforming the local refineries along Burrard Inlet into more environmentally friendly ventures. Is our local economy not diverse enough to survive the closure of the Chevron refinery or the scaling back of operations at the Kinder Morgan terminal in North Burnaby?
On the day of Jack's funeral a protest was held aimed at preventing the expansion of oil tanker traffic in the inlet. According to the organizers of the protest, there is a proposal to dredge the Inlet to allow larger "Suezmax" tankers access to the Burnaby terminal and to expand the volume of tar sand oil piped to Burnaby. The purpose of this expansion is to profit further from the global demand for oil.
For me, the most inspiring moment of the rally was seeing a 10-year-old First Nations song writer, Ta'Kaiya Blaney, sing passionately about protecting
the "shallow waters" from the threat of oil. Google her and watch her video.
In my estimation there were nearly a hundred people there, but I was hard pressed to find many Burnaby residents among the protesters despite the fact that this was happening in our backyard and a substantial spill had occurred in the area in 2007. I share Ta'Kaiya's dream to see Burrard Inlet protected from the constant threat of an oil spill and restored to its former health. Don't let anyone tell you it can't be done.
Rick McGowan, Burnaby Municipal Greens
