The letter below was written by David Shipway, an activist on Cortes Island. He raises many important points about the relationship between democracy, globalization and control of resources. I encourage others to follow his lead and write to the BC Utilities Commision and demand public hearings into the sale of Terasen-Will Horter

October 1st 2005

Robert Hobbs, Chair & CEO
B.C. Utilities Commission
Box 250, 900 Howe Street
Sixth Floor
Vancouver, B.C.
V6Z 2N3

Re: Public Hearings needed regarding sale of Terasen

Dear Mr. Hobbs,

This isn’t Iraq, therefore the US doesn’t have to bomb our cities and capture our leaders in order to achieve control of our petroleum resources. They merely need to wave some money around, make some back room deals, and our unsuspecting political leaders grovel for anything that looks taxable and signifies “growth”. They blindly assume that NAFTA will protect Canada and it’s provinces from coercive trade practices and US hegemony, even when faced with such contrary evidence in the current softwood trade war.

Unfortunately, BC politicians don’t always choose a wise course of action that protects the BC public from collective loss, and the current fire sale of  Canada’s major energy sector corporations to foreign interests spells potential disaster to BC’s self-sufficiency in the looming age of Peak Oil and beyond. Terasen used to be BC Gas, which used to be a public utility that directly helped BC develop and prosper. Given this social history, I feel it is essential that the BC Utilities Commission hold public hearings on this pending sale, so it can openly hear the genuine concerns of BC residents about the current takeover of resources by foreign corporations that may no longer serve the public interest in BC in any direct or transparent way.

Sincerely,

David Shipway, BC