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Letter: Langley Township council must speak up about pipeline

Dear Editor,

I am writing to you regarding a very sincere and legitimate concern regarding a decision that will decide the fate of our community for generations to come.

The Langley Township council will be voting next Monday regarding whether to participate in the NEB (National Energy Board) process, a process that very recently has been greatly altered and made much more difficult to take part in.

This process is created to give directly affected citizens and communities a voice at the table when deciding routing, ecological impact, economic benefits and other factors regarding energy projects.

The project that is on the table currently is the Kinder Morgan TransMountain bitumen pipeline.

To not participate in this process would be neglectful.

Kinder Morgan’s 15,000 page submission is a tome that holds all the information regarding a project that can and will have a large impact on B.C.

I am not anti-development, and I understand the role energy and the business of it plays to the Canadian economy.

However I do not feel that because there are some perks on the table that we should turn a blind eye to this development.

As stewards of this land it is our duty to ensure its’ continued usefulness and prosperity are not tarnished by poor planning and short sightedness.

This is why it is vital that our council be the community’s voice in this process.

I strongly urge concerned community members, small business owners and affected land owners to reach out to council this week and make them aware of how important having a voice is.

Our forefathers fought for our rights and it is up to us to make sure we do our part to ensure those rights for generations to come.

Byron Smith, Langley