Mr. Jeff Johnson
#616 Legislature
Annex
9718 107 Street
Edmonton, AB T5K 1E4
Theresa and Gord XXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXX
XXXXXX AB XXXXXX
April 21, 2008
Dear Mr. Johnson;
Congratulations on your recent election into the legislative assembly of Alberta. We wish you well as you undertake your duties as our elected representative in government. As concerned citizens, we offer the following issues and ideas for your consideration as you begin your elected term in office.
Over the past several years, our family has become quite concerned with environmental issues. We see fertile soil being stripped away to make way for suburban housing developments, which are too expensive for ordinary working people to afford. We see wetlands being polluted or destroyed altogether, by run-off from confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs), and by those who see these fragile ecosystems as mere playgrounds for their off-roading recreational expeditions, leaving litter and fuel spills in their wake. We see the yellow pall of pollution hanging over the skyline, more days than not.
We hear about citizens’ water wells becoming contaminated as drilling operations and other industries encroach ever nearer to long-time family farms and residences. We hear of more motor vehicle collisions and fatalities on the highways to and from Ft. McMurray, as people go faster on the roads, disregarding the safety of themselves and others. One of us was the victim of a serious collision on one of these highways a few years ago, so this issue is of particular concern to us. While more consistent enforcement of speed limits on the highways would help, it is the root cause of such behavior that needs to be addressed most of all: the erroneous belief that more, bigger and faster is always better.
Similarly disturbing are the increasingly frequent media reports of food shortages around the world. Just last week we read of a Haitian woman who was begging strangers to take one of her children, because she could not feed them all, and all she has to feed the rest them are biscuits made primarily of dirt. But these food shortages are not occurring because there is a lack of foodstuffs in the world. Instead, they are occurring because of three heinous practices which must be stopped: food distribution systems which are subject to bribery and corruption; the growing of grains and corn for first world countries to feed cars, not people, in the form of ethanol; and the egregious practice of food profiteering, where speculators invest in the price of commodity ‘futures’ and then ‘hold’ the commodities, resulting in price increases from which they profit, and because of which people starve. Given your experience in futures trading, we are certain you are aware of this latter practice.
Perhaps worst of all, we hear that plans are underway for a nuclear power plant in northern Alberta. It saddens us greatly that the government would consider allowing this industry into Alberta, when the potentially catastrophic danger of nuclear waste is so well known and the means to deal with it is not. Surely it is well past time when we as a society take into account the precautionary principle when considering future actions that affect all of humanity, rather than considering just the economic outcomes which benefit only a fortunate few.
We expect that you find these issues as upsetting and disturbing as we do. Fortunately, there are actions that can be taken by us as citizens, and by you as our elected representative, that will make a difference locally, provincially and internationally.
As citizens in this democracy, our first duty after voting is to let you know what our concerns are, which is why we are writing to you. We also feel strongly about our personal responsibilities towards the environment and our fellow citizens, and as such we have undertaken to reduce our household energy and water consumption as well as our personal greenhouse gas emissions. So far we have reduced all of these by an average of approximately 60%, not by radically changing our lifestyle but through conservation and waste reduction methods, and by eating locally produced food as much as possible. We have also chosen to pay a premium each month to ensure that our dollars go towards sustainably-produced wind power, not towards coal-generated electricity.
As citizens, we will continue to do our part to help move Alberta towards being a sustainable, conservation-minded province. Given that the government labels itself Conservative, we assume that conservation is a foremost consideration for you and your colleagues as well. With this in mind, we urge you to consider the following actions:
Immediately outlaw the practice of speculation on food ‘futures' by those who have no intention of taking delivery of the commodity. Such food profiteering is unconscionable and must cease.
Impose a
temporary moratorium on further tar sands development, bearing in mind that the most efficient and economical way to sequester carbon is to leave it in the ground.
Impose a moratorium on any further water leases from the Athabasca and North Saskatchewan rivers.
Re-fund research into the current state of biodiversity and ecological health of the province’s water- and food-sheds. It is too easy to dismiss the possibility of problems when proper baseline information is lacking.
Halt consideration
of a nuclear power plant in Alberta. The potentially catastrophic
risks of this industry are too heavy a burden to place on future
generations. Instead, support and fund
the development of clean and safe energy sources such as wind, solar
and geothermal. These should no longer be considered ‘alternative’
energy sources, but instead our primary power sources.
Temporarily halt plans for any
further tar sands upgraders in Sturgeon County and the surrounding
areas of the Industrial Heartland.
Cease development of the Dodds-Roundhill Coal Gasification plant and spare the Beaver Hill natural area.
Discourage the production of corn and grains for ethanol and encourage fuel conservation instead, along with donation of grains to national and international foodgrains banks.
Support and fund the development of more organic, locally owned and operated farms throughout Alberta. Those who grow healthy food for the rest of us should be given every opportunity to continue doing so.
Institute a carbon tax, as the government of British Columbia is doing. This rewards those who choose to live a frugal, low carbon emission lifestyle, a lifestyle towards which we must all transition.
Work towards re-creating a culture of conservation, moderation, interpersonal respect, and community cooperation throughout Alberta. This can be done in a number of ways, including but not limited to:
Expanding public transit as well as bicycle and pedestrian walkways and parks.
Encouraging the development of walkable neighborhoods, which do not require dependence on automobiles.
Providing grants to citizens or groups to purchase land for co-housing developments and/or community gardens.
Introducing civics, communications and conflict resolution courses into Alberta school curriculum.
Modeling respect, integrity and accountability in your actions as our elected representative and encouraging all MLAs to do likewise.
In summary, we want to live in a province where community-minded citizens live in concert with nature, not in opposition to it. A place where together we all steward the land and its resources, not exploit them. As our elected head steward for Athabasca-Redwater, we hope you share this vision with us. We look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Gord and Theresa XXXXXXXXX