Opinion TheReview Wednesday, February 21, 1990 — A8 stop blackmailing us, clean up your act instead VICTORIA — MacMillan Bloe- del’s threat to close its Alberni pulp mill, unless the government agrees to relax pollution standards, is nothing short of blackmail. Using the livelihood of 200 people as a bargaining chip in its attempts to save money at the cost of the environment is reprehensi- ble. No self-respecting government could possibly give in to such a shameful demand, even if it means the loss of 200 jobs. The industry must be made to understand that the basics of a clean environment are no longer subject to negotia- tions or worse, blackmail. Environment Minister John Reynolds has already said that he won't be pushed around by Mac- Blo or any other company, but just in case he should waver in his tesolve, I’d like to draw his atten- ‘No self-respecting govemment could Possibly give in to such a shameful Gemand, even if if means the loss of 200 jobs’ tion to an example of what can happen if industry is left to its own devices. The environmental horror Story that has been unfolding in eastern Europe, particularly East Germany, is almost beyond ima- gining. Given a free hand, industry will always go for maximum profit at the least cost, and it makes no difference whether the system in which it operates is communist or free enterprise. In a recent cover Story, Der Spiegel, West Germany’s foremost weekly news magazine, revealed the extent of the environmental calamity that has befallen the Ger- man Democratic Republic. About one-third or 10,000 kilo- metres of the country’s rivers and i Streams are dead. Only three per cent of all lakes have water that is still drinkable. About 90 per cent of East Germany’s forests are damaged by acid rain. In some areas, the trees lose their leaves in July. A chemical factory near Halle, a major city, dumps 20 kilograms of mercury into the river Saale every day. That’s 10 times more each day than the giant BASF concern in Ludwigshafen, West Germany, deposits into the Rhine in a whole year. The country’s agricultural industry is in big trouble. Soil and ground water are so poisoned that productivity per hectare is less than half that of West Germany’s agricultural areas. One of the most adversely affected areas is the densely indu- Strialized region north of Leipzig, where hundreds of factories emit nearly 40,000 tons of dust and 90,000 tons of sulphur dioxide a year. On a per square-kilometre basis, those figures are about 140 times higher than those registered in Hessen, a land (province) in West Germany. Even though the regime had known for years that the country was drifting towards ecological disaster, the communist rulers did nothing to change things. Indus- trial Output was more important than a healthy environment. Even ea: “Luxury living in a natural setting” a unique blend of 75 adult orientated carriage homes nestled throughout 75 acres of manicured and prestine parkland. OPEN DAILY 10-5 1255 Wain Road, Sidney 655-3111 Over 75* # Sold £ Choice Locations Now Selling a in our = | 3rd & Final Stage= now, it is estimated, new environ- mental damage totals $12 billion a year. To reverse the damage to East Germany’s poisoned rivers and lakes alone would necessitate a total restructuring of the country’s energy production system, now depending largely on coal. The cost of changing over to ecologi- cally more acceptable methods of energy production is estimated at $40 billion. Considering the extent of the environmental disaster in eastern Europe, it’s only a matter of time before some of our industrial mov- ers and shakers will delude them- selves into believing that they are good corporate guardians of the environment. “Hey, things are pretty good here,” they will say. “Look at East Germany,” they will say. “Get off our backs,” they will say. “Like hell,” we should reply. “Stop blackmailing us and start cleaning up your act.” Continued from Page A6 answered no. As Sidney Pier in a letter to council stressed this original designed building would take six months to construct from the date a permit was issued, it shows that the company never had any inten- tion of constructing the building by the April 27 deadline, other- wise they would have obtained a permit six months prior to the deadline date. On the 30-page Sidney Pier “proposal” for a conference centre, it should be noted, in faimess to Sidney Pier, that they point out that the $4.2 million capital cost estimate (to be paid for by the public) is only a “prelimi- nary” one. So the bad news is yet to come. They also say that a “furtherin __ depth survey” on possible user levels is needed, and that the proposal is based on “professional assumptions.” Hardly enough for any fiscally’ responsible council to go into Continued on Page A10 RE-ROOFING & REPAIRS COMMERCIAL & RESIDENTIAL lf FIBERGLASS SHINGLES (the Best) 20 YR GUARANTEE lm CEDAR SHAKES & DUROID SHINGLES ll POLYESTER MEMBRANE (REPLACES TAR & GRAVEL) __MEMBER BBB SINCE 1983 € RE-ROOFING KODIAK ROOFING SERVICES Your Roofing Specialists (locally owned’ and operated) Se 384-2070 Y BRENTWOOD BAY SHOPPING CENTRE WANTED 2 HOMES TO MODEL THE FIN-ALL® ROOF SYSTEM A permanent roof for your home or business SUPER ROOF I™ Aluminum shingles, available in eight vibrant colours and installed on roofs currently covered with asphalt or cedar shingles. A 50 year non- prorated warranty gives you the assurance of never having to re-roof! 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