At a planning meeting for local opposition to the Kinder Morgan project on Burnaby Mountain last week I was fortunate enough to see Melina Laboucan-Massimo of the Lubicon Cree give virtually the same presentation as shown here. Her people are literally on the front line of the massively destructive tar sands oil project in northern Alberta. While opposition to the transit of the toxic bitumen products produced there is high here in coastal BC due to the risk of a spill, the indigenous people of Alberta face a far more grave and direct threat from their extraction point itself. Among the shocking facts in her presentation were that the tar sands area is now larger than England and Wales combined (and still growing), and that more earth has so far been removed (destroying pristine boreal forest in the process) by the project than was used to build the Great Wall of China, the Great Pyramid at Cheops, the Suez Canal, and the top ten largest dams on earth *combined.* Canada now leads the world in deforestation, outpacing even Brazil, and the tar sands alone produce more carbon emissions than the entire country of New Zealand. The only thing I can compare the utter destructiveness of the project to that might have any meaning for people is Mordor (It is a barren wasteland, riddled with fire, ash, and dust. The very air you breathe is a poisonous fume.). Even these shocking figures dont convey the damage the tar sands are causing, however: the extraction project threatens the very survival of the Lubicon Cree and other First Nations in the area. With the boreal forest gone, important species like woodland caribou, lynx and migratory songbirds will also go, and soon; the very world upon which the indigenous peoples of the region have depended for their survival, culture and identity for thousands of years. It will mean, in other words, genocide. I spent my summers growing up at Killarney Provincial Park in Ontario (ontarioparks/park/killarney), described as the crown jewel of the Ontario parks system, and I continue to visit it whenever I can. Its white quartzite hills contain some of the oldest rock on earth, and its pristine blue waters served as inspiration for several of the famous Group of Seven Canadian artists in the early part of the last century. It is home to unique ecosystems, abundant plants and wildlife, and features an extensive network of spectacular lakes and excellent hiking trails. At night lying on the rocks you can see more stars than you could ever imagine. There is a feeling of profound peace to the place that is unique in my experience. It is the most beautiful place I have ever seen, and it has a significance for my family and I (and for many others) which I can only describe as spiritual. If something were to ever threaten that land I think the devastation those who know and love it would be impossible to bear. I want everyone reading this to think of somewhere in this world that has similar meaning for you, and imagine what it would be like to see it being inexorably destroyed around you, its animals killed, your neighbours and loved ones made sick, and your way of life ended forever. For the Lubicon Cree and other First Nations this isnt a nightmare but a reality, and unlike us tourists who can go home at the end of the summer, the land that is being destroyed is their home. They have nowhere else to go. Now tell me about the importance of the tar sands to the economy.
Posted on: Sun, 30 Nov 2014 09:16:06 +0000