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The following letter was sent to the Edmonton Journal

October 12, 2006

To the Editor,

When it comes to the environment, we are taking one step forward to two steps back. It’s sadly euphemistic to see the long-term ‘consultation process’ put forward by our minority conservative government labelled ‘Green Law’ on the front page of the Edmonton Journal, next to a headline about a fresh oil spill.

As the Canadian Environmental Protection Act already holds mechanisms for dealing with both greenhouse gasses and other pollutants, more consultations are more fancy footwork taking us backward from needed action on environmental legislation.

We know that human activities are having a severe impact on the world around us. We are aware that the explosion of oil and gas extraction will have detrimental effects for generations to come. The ‘boom’ even has negative repercussions for us right now.

Lack of housing and infrastructure is exacerbated by the inability to build due to soaring prices. A shortage of workers to provide even basic services means that our standard of living is starting to suffer.

The role of government is to manage society to benefit present and future citizens. If we were all on the same page, there would be no need for government; environmental protection would be automatic; one oilsands project would be remediated before another one was started.

For the youth of today, our environmental situation is as grave as the cold war was to the previous generation. How can our governments endorse activities which harm us? Even some of the big corporate players have expressed that slowing down would be in everyone’s best interest.

Modern rock expresses it well; “The youth of tomorrow don’t need today, ‘cause they live in the sins of yesterday” (Billy Talent); “Even when your hope is gone, move along, move along, like I know you do…” (American Rejects); “I beg to dream and differ from the hollow lies, this is the dawning of the rest of our lives…” (Green Day).

Our present government has to wake up and smell the effect that their inaction has on future voters.

Jule Asterisk
Slave Lake, Alberta