Editor:
Re: Prince Rupert not good option, letter to the editor, Nov. 16
I'll be the first to admit we are facing a challenge. What some call "economic progress" means turning what remains of our worldclass farmland into an industrial park.
I understand why proponents of Deltaport expansion want us to believe the industrialization of Delta is as inevitable as the rising sun, but another vision for the future is possible.
Our farmland is irreplaceable and carries a value far above its 25 per cent contribution to Delta's GDP. We each have our reasons to protect farmland. Here are a few of mine:
1. Retaining the current dynamism of our community. From industry and trade to farming and recreation, the different sectors of our economy make for a resilient and vibrant community.
2. Protecting our shared heritage. The legacy of Thomas and William Ladner, the Delta Agricultural Society, and the many farming and fishing families made Delta what it is today.
3. Securing our agricultural capacity for future generations. Delta has some of the world's most productive agricultural land. Once it is lost, it is gone for good.
4. Promoting healthy, local food. We can eat food brought to Delta in shipping containers, or we can support high-quality produce grown right on our own doorstep by our own local farmers.
5. Respecting Delta residents. This community is our home, and Deltans should have the right to decide the future.
6. The estuary, the surrounding mudflats of Roberts Bank and Boundary Bay, and the agricultural uplands form a symbiotic relationship that make Delta one of the most important birding areas in the world. We have a moral duty to protect the survival of that wildlife.
I do not see Prince Rupert replacing the need for Deltaport. But it is important to understand that Port Metro Vancouver (PMV) is in direct and serious competition with the Port of Prince Rupert, which is undergoing its own massive expansion. They compete for the same Asian shipping traffic, something PMV tends to gloss over just a wee bit.
I have simply reached the point where I say, "No more." Delta has played its part for the economic wellbeing of this country.
MLA Vicki Huntington
