Dear Editor,
Stretching long and thin just east and inland from the coast, moving north from Hope through Lytton, Merritt, Ashcroft, Cache Creek, and Clinton, the newly-defined riding of Fraser-Nicola is wonderfully rural, while being still close and accessible to the burgeoning population of the Lower Mainland.
The Liberal government (and its MLA for the riding, Jackie Tegart) sees this proximity as an asset: not for the riding’s citizens, but for the population near the coast. We are seen as an easily accessible disposal site for much of the waste generated in these neighbouring cities. We are the dumpster in the alleyway; the place to throw the nasties, so Metro can call itself green! Truckload after truckload of this waste is disposed of in our riding, slowly toxifying our environment and our future.
Should we not see this proximity to the Lower Mainland as a real opportunity to develop a thriving tourism industry: a sustainable basis to create lasting jobs in the riding? There is so much to offer here; and the city-dweller can access it so easily! Pushing a green industry like tourism would enable us to maintain what is left of our pristine rivers, lakes, forests, and ranchlands. It would ensure a cleaner, heathier future for the generations to come.
Help us put an end to the short-sighted, cynical vision Jackie Tegart and the Liberals have for our riding. Let’s stop the degradation of our riding, and begin to safeguard it for its natural beauty: a real resource that we can market to that huge population just next door!
It is time for Metro to really take care of its own waste problem, and stop pushing its toxic burden on us and our beautiful riding. It is not healthy, not sustainable, and not very neighbourly!
Don Vincent, Merritt