Kitimat win is also a loss – StarPhoenix

May 22, 2014

Jones is president and CEO of the Canada West Foundation, which exclusively focuses on policies that shape the quality of life in Western Canada.

In April, the people of Kitimat voted 58 per cent against in a plebiscite on whether to support the Northern Gateway project. The anti-pipeline crowd has been celebrating its victory over big oil loudly and widely. It sees this vote as a victory both in protecting the B.C. coast and in building a new relationship between progressive groups in Kitimat and the Haisla First Nation.

What is confusing is the lack of acknowledgment of the environmental and human costs of this victory. At best, this is a win-lose outcome.

All across Western Canada, resource development partnerships are creating tangible improvements in the quality of life for First Nations and remote communities. Companies like Rio Tinto Alcan, Suncor and Cameco have supported aboriginal economic and skills development, while also building prosperity that pays for schools and hospitals and services all over the West.

Read more: http://www.thestarphoenix.com/business/Kitimat+also+loss/9866097/story.html