The following letter to Sheryl Lane of Land & Water B.C. was copied to The Chief for publication.
Dear Ms. Lane,
I vehemently protest how LWBC has been running its investigative and/or consultative program regarding Cheakamus River Draft Water Use Plan.
I have been living by this wonderful river (Cheakamus) for the past 18 years and I have shared droughts, floods and other exciting and dangerous conditions with the waters (and fish) if and when they happened. I have helped neighbours out of tight spots (and they helped me), embellished forests and riverbanks and observe the wild life around here on a daily basis.
I have an address and a phone number, but nobody, and I repeat nobody, has contacted me (or any of my neighbours for that matter) about any studies pertaining to additional water use by B.C. Hydro or the change of water flow in the Cheakamus River.
It was only on July 6, at about 3 p.m. that a neighbour phoned and informed me about a meeting at the Sea to Sky Hotel at 7 p.m.
I was shocked to learn that nine previous meetings had already taken place (in great secrecy) and that only fishers and rafters were told that something was about to be changed with the flow of the waters in the Cheakamus River. Ms. Lane, this sort of dealing with residents of Paradise Valley stinks to high heaven! It is obvious that B.C. Hydro has one objective only: it wants more water!
We have battled B.C. Hydro for years with its dictatorial approach to water management (causing one abhorrent flood) and the building of electrical towers etc. At times it appeared that there was, indeed, a change coming about and that residents, consumers and the population in general do count. Yet, the way you have gone about to deal with residents of Paradise Valley reminds us of "the good old Bennett day"': Take it or leave it.
And that sort of thinking was made very clear by Peter Bekker who stated: "This is not a hearing, this simply is an information meeting" (Take it or leave it - my addition). But, that's how it was at the July 6 meeting, Ms. Lane.
It is strange that you cannot get one fact into your head namely that it is not the Department of Fisheries or the Government that keeps this river clean and paradisiacal. And not the tourists that swarm into this valley either. Neither the power lines that cut across forests and fields. It is the people of Paradise Valley who care most for the Cheakamus River. And it is the residents who clean up the mess that is left by many who simply dump their trash into the waters etc. It is the residents who report people fishing out of season. It is the residents who phone police when riverbanks and gravel fields are tampered with or pollutants appear on the waters. And it is the residents who take care that the waters of the Cheakamus are no longer stinking due to the messy sewage that was released by the (overflowing) Whistler sewage treatment facilities!
Ms. Lane, you can forget about all the fishes and fowl in the Cheakamus if the residents don't co-operate. Your shameful treatment of the residents of Paradise Valley is a shocking regression into the Dark Ages of B.C. Hydro.
Ferdinand Vondruska
Paradise Valley
Freedom of religion under attack
Editor,
Many people have different views of life from our own; however (speaking to the readers) thankfully in this day and age we have progressed to hold that discrimination, based on those beliefs and values, to be criminal according to the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
Mr. French, you're right (Editor's Notebook, July 1) but you miss the point. Marriage is a religious ceremony, not a government sanctioned one. In the old days, the government handed out marriage certificates and performed civil marriages. Now, same-sex couples want the same rights and privileges as married couples. A governmental civil union ceremony performs the same function: taxation and pension wise.
Furthermore, in the eyes of fundamentalist Christian members and believers of Islam, Judaism, (just to name a few), the idea of same-sex couples using a religious inspired ceremony is an attack on their religion. Mark these words, in the not to distant future, various leaders of various religious inclinations will be brought before the courts of the land for practicing discrimination based on their religious beliefs, since they will not perform the marriage ceremony for same-sex unions. In closing, freedom of religion will become a thing of the past.
Rick Eby
Squamish
Many thanks
Editor,
About a month ago I suffered an injury. This letter is to thank the multitude of people who were there at the beginning and throughout my ordeal. To Roger, Irma, Leslie, and Brent at Garibaldi Highlands Elementary for taking care of me, calling 911, and for being with Ethan. Thanks to both Eva and Doug for providing Ethan with a fun and distracting evening and a safe haven to spend the night. To Dr. Stelzl for sending me so quickly to Lions Gate Hospital and to Sue, the R.N. in emergency, whose calm presence was so reassuring. To the people who came to visit, made phone calls, sent flowers, best wishes, and tons of magazines! To Pippa, our official dog walker and play date arranger; to Cheryl for being my taxi driver even though it was on her birthday. To Laura and Eva for setting up a meal roster so that my first few weeks back at home were not spent eating take out. To all of the amazing people out there who baked, cooked, and shopped for us. You cannot know how much I have been overwhelmed by your kindness; there is so much goodness in all of you. Meg, Jan, and Ethan Toom
Squamish
