Dear Editor:
Re: Mayor calls FVRD hypocritical, Burnaby NOW, Jan. 15
Let me begin by stating for the record that I am a firm proponent of utilizing human-generated waste in the safest and least harmful to the environment manner. However, for Mayor Derek Corrigan to posture that the current facility located in South Burnaby, a waste-to-energy generator, is not contributing harmful emissions to the air and watershed is both an egregious and misinformed statement.
His stance that the local residents are unaware of its existence is hardly a defensible position. My guess is that he holds to the adage "what you don't know can't hurt you" doesn't apply in this case. Airborne particulate matter is naked to the eye but disastrous for the respiratory system.
Toxic emissions are also extremely hazardous to the ecosystem when they enter the natural water systems in Burnaby and surrounding region. Cadmium is one of the most harmful metals that exist in nature. When leached into the soil it eventually enters the food chain, causing irreparable damage to fish, animals and humans alike.
One point the mayor conveniently fails to mention is that the City of Burnaby financially benefits by having this facility within Burnaby boundaries and provides funds into the city coffers. A money maker His Worship would be loath to give up under any circumstance, regardless of the health risks to the general public.
David Field, Burnaby
