LETTER

Liberal ministers decide on Teck Frontier project 

We need to give our heads a good shake. A proposal to (massively) expand the tar sands in Alberta – seriously? I agree that it makes sense that people need jobs, and that a big fossil fuel project can employ many people, but why not put the same people (and others) to work to make the switch to a safe and sustainable energy supply instead?

The work needs to be done urgently and my guess is that the oil-sector work force already has the necessary skills to move quickly. And, wouldn’t this be an enjoyable challenge; being part of the solution, instead of being part of the problem?

Expanding the tars sands will put more carbon in the atmosphere and can only be justified on a monetary basis that ignores the obvious, but difficult to monetise, environmental costs. The fact that much of the life on the planet will expire as a result of increasing global temperature cannot easily be included in a return-on-investment calculation – and so it isn’t.  

Leadership is required to turn this around – like putting a high price on carbon and making monetary system adjustments to allow investments (not loans) to pay for the required solutions. Changes must be made now. Approving an expansion of the tar sands can only be justified using short-term political thinking that puts aside doing what’s right to avoid a backlash from voters who are being led in the wrong direction.  

Kearon Bennett

Ottawa