Is the news really that good?
ESTEVAN MERCURY
DECEMBER 7, 2016 02:00 AM
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Last week’s announcement of the federal government’s approval of two major oil pipeline projects would have been greeted with some high degree of excitement and assurance by the general public on the Canadian Prairies, in the past. But there is no such joyful celebration in today’s world.
Although the pipelines received the blessing and green light from PM Justin Trudeau, interim Progressive Conservative Leader Rona Ambrose probably nailed the issue on the head when she so succinctly used the phrase “if these pipelines ever get built.â€
Those of us residing within the resource rich, land-locked regions of Canada understand quite explicitly how increasingly difficult it has become to move raw products to deserving markets.
Advocates for various modes of production and transportation are continually being assailed by critics, who are quick to fly the banners of protest.
That’s not to suggest these transportation vehicles need to be given free reign. We have seen what transpired when they did, and it wasn’t that pretty either.
But perhaps the pendulum of concern has now swung too far in the other direction.
You name it … safety, environment, wildlife protection, Indigenous rights and histories, and just plain truculence seem to be holding sway on several files.
The proposed pipelines, for instance, still have to pass a litany of social and additional environmental demands, even after having passed National Energy Board scrutiny.
Too often, the NIMBY advocates insist that something should not happen because it will spoil their natural access to all that they interpret as good. The “Not in my Backyard†teams, just by erecting social actions, such as those currently advocating for rights at Standing Rock in North Dakota, rule the day and run the show.
In fact, the NIMBY group is even losing its grip to what is now being labelled as the BANANA teams. These are the people who are telling us to Build Absolutely Nothing Anywhere Near Anybody. So while we are dealing in acronyms, let’s just call them DTAs, meaning Don’t Trust Anybody.
It appears as if today’s producers and transporters are butting up against crowds of instant protesters who aren’t sure what they’re protesting against, but if someone else doesn’t like it, then they shouldn’t like it either.
So, the Port of Churchill gets shut down using economic and political excuses, thus eliminating an alternate route for prairie products.
Grain and other food get marketed, sold and delivered without input from the actual producer of the goods.
Oil gets delivered through old pipelines, no upgrades allowed. Pipelines are not the way to get valuable oil to tidewater today say the protestors. Rail is even worse, but so far, no trains carrying oil are being stopped by banner bearers. We presume camping out by a stationary pipeline or oil battery station is the preferred option, rather than chasing down moving rail cars. The same goes for transport trucks. They too haul the stuff the protestors don’t like, but they are too difficult to track down and are too small in scope to gain national media attention. Waving a flag at a truck driver on a grid road doesn’t warrant national television exposure … only an acerbic comment on Facebook.
There are no clear answers.
Perhaps Saskatchewan and other prairie dwellers could build more value-added processing and marketing facilities to counteract the non-performing tools currently at their disposal, thus reducing some stress factors.
There are no political pressures to apply. We are too few in numbers to be recognized by federal political powers.
Economic clout? Same thing.
Perhaps some day we’ll return to good old common sense to deliver our messages and products.
- See more at: http://www.estevanmercury.ca/opinion/editorial/is-the-news-really-that-good-1.3898049#sthash.SH6bj49u.dpuf
ESTEVAN MERCURY
DECEMBER 7, 2016 02:00 AM
Share via Email
Print Article
Last week’s announcement of the federal government’s approval of two major oil pipeline projects would have been greeted with some high degree of excitement and assurance by the general public on the Canadian Prairies, in the past. But there is no such joyful celebration in today’s world.
Although the pipelines received the blessing and green light from PM Justin Trudeau, interim Progressive Conservative Leader Rona Ambrose probably nailed the issue on the head when she so succinctly used the phrase “if these pipelines ever get built.â€
Those of us residing within the resource rich, land-locked regions of Canada understand quite explicitly how increasingly difficult it has become to move raw products to deserving markets.
Advocates for various modes of production and transportation are continually being assailed by critics, who are quick to fly the banners of protest.
That’s not to suggest these transportation vehicles need to be given free reign. We have seen what transpired when they did, and it wasn’t that pretty either.
But perhaps the pendulum of concern has now swung too far in the other direction.
You name it … safety, environment, wildlife protection, Indigenous rights and histories, and just plain truculence seem to be holding sway on several files.
The proposed pipelines, for instance, still have to pass a litany of social and additional environmental demands, even after having passed National Energy Board scrutiny.
Too often, the NIMBY advocates insist that something should not happen because it will spoil their natural access to all that they interpret as good. The “Not in my Backyard†teams, just by erecting social actions, such as those currently advocating for rights at Standing Rock in North Dakota, rule the day and run the show.
In fact, the NIMBY group is even losing its grip to what is now being labelled as the BANANA teams. These are the people who are telling us to Build Absolutely Nothing Anywhere Near Anybody. So while we are dealing in acronyms, let’s just call them DTAs, meaning Don’t Trust Anybody.
It appears as if today’s producers and transporters are butting up against crowds of instant protesters who aren’t sure what they’re protesting against, but if someone else doesn’t like it, then they shouldn’t like it either.
So, the Port of Churchill gets shut down using economic and political excuses, thus eliminating an alternate route for prairie products.
Grain and other food get marketed, sold and delivered without input from the actual producer of the goods.
Oil gets delivered through old pipelines, no upgrades allowed. Pipelines are not the way to get valuable oil to tidewater today say the protestors. Rail is even worse, but so far, no trains carrying oil are being stopped by banner bearers. We presume camping out by a stationary pipeline or oil battery station is the preferred option, rather than chasing down moving rail cars. The same goes for transport trucks. They too haul the stuff the protestors don’t like, but they are too difficult to track down and are too small in scope to gain national media attention. Waving a flag at a truck driver on a grid road doesn’t warrant national television exposure … only an acerbic comment on Facebook.
There are no clear answers.
Perhaps Saskatchewan and other prairie dwellers could build more value-added processing and marketing facilities to counteract the non-performing tools currently at their disposal, thus reducing some stress factors.
There are no political pressures to apply. We are too few in numbers to be recognized by federal political powers.
Economic clout? Same thing.
Perhaps some day we’ll return to good old common sense to deliver our messages and products.
- See more at: http://www.estevanmercury.ca/opinion/editorial/is-the-news-really-that-good-1.3898049#sthash.SH6bj49u.dpuf
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