Dear editor,
I attended the Comox Valley all-candidates' meeting the other night.
The Raven Coal Mine/ provincial election connection is getting clearer.
When pressed on the Raven Mine issue, the Green candidate said he's opposed; the Conservative candidate said she'd study the issue; the Liberal candidate defended the current review process
and said he'd wait until it's over to make a decision; and the NDP candidate said she would support the local government motions for a more rigorous review panel with public hearings.
While one might take comfort in the fact that the Green candidate
staunchly opposes the Raven Project, the reality is that the chance of the local Green candidate winning this riding is slim, and the chance of the BC Green Party forming the next government is even slimmer.
Make no mistake, the party that forms the next B.C. government
will be the final decision-maker on the Raven coal mine.
Having an MLA who would advocate for a more rigorous environmental review is crucial. Having such an MLA sitting at the next meeting of the Government of B.C. is even more crucial.
I humbly submit that the candidate who would be best-positioned
to advocate for those of us who have grave concerns about the Raven mine, would be NDP candidate Kassandra Dycke.
Bob Stiven,
Comox