Dear Editor:
Three words, beautiful British Columbia, are written on every license plate in the Province. This description is a testament to the extensive natural beauty that can be found in every corner of British Columbia.
I believe that the government should do everything in its power to protect this diverse environment, and that means not allowing the Northern Gateway pipeline to be constructed.
I believe that a pipeline would be a huge risk to the North Coast and northern interior of the province, and I would like the B.C. government to oppose it, because the pipe line would travel over more than 1,000 streams and rivers, some of which are salmon-bearing.
Salmon fishing has provided me with some amazing experiences in B.C., and the impact of an oil spill in such a delicate ecosystem would be absolutely detrimental for the health of not only salmon populations, but all species in the area.
I think Enbridge is also a bad choice for B.C., and with almost 610 recorded spills between 1999 and 2008, it would just be a matter of time before Northern Gateway would leak some oil into the environment.
I have been to Alaska and seen the pelts of dead sea otters, dead birds and seals affected by the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill.
Even when I went in 2009, oil was still an issue in the area, and it is estimated to take up to 30 years to fully clean the spill.
As a resident of this province, I fear the potential impact of a large scale oil spill that the pipeline could potentially cause.
I do not want to see some of the valuable wildlife such as whales, birds and fish that make British Columbia beautiful affected in a negative way by an oil spill.
Henry McKenzie, Cariboo Hill Secondary student
