WestCoastRunner

The U.S. has our back in the event of terrorist attacks or other forms of attacks on Canada. I have no problem with the good old U.S. of A. having our back. And quite frankly, I thank them for that. They are absolutely a good neighbour to Canada.

You don't even live in Ontario. What do you care if this pipeline flows through Ontario. It will have no impact on your lifestyle if there is an oil leak.

This is just not the forum I want to contribute to anymore.

There is a difference between derailing a thread with useless, disguisting comments and engaging comments.

LIke derailing a thread about christian universities by bringing up anal sex. Good grief.

What a disguisting comment.

I think we can forget about the sex now and follow the money.

Residential schools traumatized parents,children and it filtered down through generations. Children were taken from their families and denied their ancestory. They simply did not have the same rights to grow and prosper like other immigrants and it is simply wrong to compare them to these immigrants.

There has never been supertankers navigating these waters. Why don't you open your minds and absorb some of the information that has been posted instead of brushing it off as scare tactics.

You cannot possibly compare your ancestors or Philipinos or Indian immigrants with aboriginals. A great travesty was thrust upon them with the residential schools that forever changed the relationship between Canada and First Nations, and to this day there is still a great mistrust. Here are a few facts on these residential schools that have traumatized thousands of these children and the implications of the abuse has filtered down generations. "Residential schools were established with the assumption that aboriginal culture was unable to adapt to a rapidly modernizing society. It was believed that native children could be successful if they assimilated into mainstream Canadian society by adopting Christianity and speaking English or French. Students were discouraged from speaking their first language or practising native traditions. If they were caught, they would experience severe punishment." "Throughout the years, students lived in substandard conditions and endured physical and emotional abuse. There have also been convictions of sexual abuse. Students at residential schools rarely had opportunities to see examples of normal family life. Most were in school 10 months a year, away from their parents; some stayed all year round. All correspondence from the children was written in English, which many parents couldn't read. Brothers and sisters at the same school rarely saw each other, as all activities were segregated by gender."

Well, there is certainly disagreement among private christian colleges just across the border in Seattle. A few colleges there, including the Seattle Pacific University, are permitting gay and lesbian student clubs.

Sounds simple enough, except it's not. That's not how the weather works in these parts. Perhaps you should read some of the other posts here.

You might enjoy this read from a 'Master Mariner' from Comox. He has over 40 years experience in the international oil exploration and shipping industry. He discusses the proposed tanker route and provides some much needed clarification on the risks and shoots down some of Enbridge's proposals.

Here are some more facts on this sheltered port and inlet passages. I think some folks here need to get their facts straight instead of listening to Enbridge: "Wright Sound is the navigational confluence of five active shipping channels, “where all loaded super tankers will have to make the first of three hairpin turns greater than 90 degrees,” The logistics involved in navigating giant tankers past one another through the narrow channels leading into Wright Sound are very complicated. "An average of four tankers per day will be navigating the Inside Passage year round, Enbridge has offered public assurances that supertankers could safely navigate the Inside Passage at speeds of up to 12 knots. At these speeds, supertankers can take six to eight kilometres, or between 30 minutes and a full-hour, to come to a complete stop." “Supertankers will block waters where channels narrow and hairpin turns have to be navigated,” “These loaded supertankers, tugboats and steel toe lines will make it impossible for any other marine traffic to pass.” The high-risk route could be further complicated by inclement weather and an abundance of marine wildlife in the area. "A marine biologist whose research is focused on threatened and endangered whales off of BC’s coast explains the danger of running supertankers through the narrow coastal channels near Kitimat. “Ironically enough, the humpback whales are attracted to these confined channels, where prey are aggregated, which is the stickiest part of the route.” Rain and fog dramatically reduce visibility in this area. On average, the Raincoast records 4.5 metres of precipitation per annum – by comparison, Toronto receives less than one metre of precipitation annually. The tides can fluctuate up to eight metres – a change in height that is equal to a two-story building. “There simply isn’t any room for all these supertankers,” “What will they do when they have to pass each other?” The bilge water that tankers use to maintain consistent buoyancy while the mass of their load is in constant flux. “This bilge will be pumped from the waters of heavily industrialized ports in China,” “Chemical and biological contaminants will be pumped onboard along with bilge water, along with foreign organisms and potentially invasive species. This bilge and all that it contains will later be dumped into the marine environment along the West Coast of Canada.” As if the above isn't enough, consider this: Working on the assumption that a large-scale spill is likely to occur, scientists have proved that bitumen bonds with sediment in water, causing it to sink to the bottom particularly when the surface of the water is disturbed by turbulence. In the event of a pipeline leak, loading accident or supertanker spill, bitumen will destroy the marine environment with little chance of recovery.”

Who's website? Enbridge? You need to get your facts straight about the tanker route and don't believe everything Enbridge is saying: The Douglas Channel/Wright Sound waters are subject to severe Arctic outflow winds. In addition there are maximum flood and ebb currents generated by the six-metre tidal range in Douglas Channel. Here's a great flyover video that sets the record straight about the real route and adding some minor details (tongue in cheek). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3vxhnan_ZA

How do you know these folks you mentioned above do not at times rely on food banks when they aren't working. Even perhaps a christmas hamper and toys for their kids. I bet many do but don't like to discuss it because of embarrassment, shame, etc.

This is a far cry from oil tankers being increased 10 fold to approximately 225 oil tankers per year. Not to mention that super tankers that can carry 2 million barrels each. These super tankers are as long as the Empire State building is tall. The deep strait being navigated also provides salmon and halibut fishing grounds, conservancy islands, provincial parks,. Humpbacks, orcas, a buffet of shellfish - and coastal creatures, including the much-celebrated white Kermode bear, or spirit bear. populate these parts of BC. Now, imagine an oil spill in these waters.

Marine weather conditions are severe. Winter storms originate in the Gulf of Alaska bringing high waves throughout parts of the proposed tanker route, with winds PERSISTENTLY higher than 40 km/h. Highly unlikely Enbridge will not transport bitumen throughout the winter months.

It seems the TWU faculty are not happy with the decision of the Board of Governors to not back down given the pressure from the Law Societies. "One faculty member estimated that roughly half the faculty is “embarrassed” by the ban on same-sex relationships, another 30 per cent are “on the fence” and 20 per cent “staunchly” support it." Other information coming to light is the fact that TWU is afraid of losing major evangelical financial donors. An example given about evangelical donations goes like this: 'The giant Christian relief organization, World Vision USA, learned a harsh lesson about gay rights when it announced it would no longer define marriage as between a man and a woman in its employee conduct manual. Many evangelical donors, including Assemblies of God leaders, immediately urged members to drop their support for World Vision. Within a week, World Vision, which has a $1-billion budget, reversed its stance and said it would no longer recognize the same-sex marriages of its employees. The World Vision case “provides an example of how to mollify a donor base." One faculty member (speaking anonymously for fear of being fired) has stated “there was a time when students weren’t even allowed to dance at Trinity Western.” Indeed.

Funny, you should mention this. An article appeared on the cbc website today stating that "A second pipe would flow east and carry 193,000 barrels of diluent (also known as condensate) a day." It's a very informative article and it goes on to say: "It is a twinned pipeline over a thousand kilometres, over some of the most rugged wilderness." Two of the country's tallest mountain ranges, the Rockies and the Coast Mountains, need to be scaled and descended. Plus, there are creeks, rivers, lakes and ponds by the dozen."

and weather conditions play into it. We have atrocious instability that no one from northern gateway is mentioning.

WTF??? I don't think I can be anymore loyal to this topic.

When we have the increase in numbers of tankers, let's not simplify it.

You don't live on the west coast. Save your arguments.

You really don't provide any value to this thread. Can you come up with more?