A lot to do about nothing!

On one end of the spectrum you see the Conservatives saying they will look to Ottawa for money to combat the spread of the pine beetle. This same Government had a chance to seriously curtail the spread of the pine beetle 3 or 4 years ago when it was manageable. They did nothing.

Now, the infestation is so extensive there is no chemical or biological fix for the problem and they are trying to deflect the blame into a financial argument.

On the other hand, you see the NDP with their popular forum of “sterilize the land” with their ubiquitous simplicity of cures. Shut it all down. It was this same short sited and uninformed view that allowed the pine beetle infestations to spread from a foot ball sized field in the middle of nowhere in BC to the point it is now.

When the infestation was first sited in BC the NDP Government would not allow roads to be built into the site. The proposal was to completely sterilize the ground by chemical means. It would have worked had it been allowed to proceed.

Where to go for the middle road? For responsible, managed growth? For proper returns to the tax base for non renewable resources that are being sold off and exploited by industry with absolutely no return to the province at all.

Keep your eye on the ball don’t be distracted by beetle problems we can do nothing about. We have more oil than we have water! Mr. Morton is quick to seize on this moving to shift the flow of the Red River to suit his personal goals.

John Clark
cyberclark@shaw.ca