Cumberland BC: The Cumberlander Articles Section
Regional · 25th July 2009
C. Kjarsgaard
Lillooet Ratepayers Association Meet with MP Chuck Strahl on Lillooet Water Issues July 21/09
Lillooet Ratepayers say “NO THANKS” to Arsenic and Water Metering to MP Chuck Strahl. Federally, provincially and municipally driven initiatives are stripping the rights of people to control their waters. The public’s wishes are being bypassed. WHY?
Forcing Lillooet to meter, forcing Lillooet people to drink arsenic water is harming us. These “choices” are mistakes we wished to bring to Mr. Strahls attention.
People just like us from all over BC (and other provinces) are not being heard. We have a right to expect all our elected representatives to represent us well. First and foremost, in our health, safety and welfare.
We all have a right to our water, safe water, and to be in control of our water. We have a right to be heard, and to direct how we wish to live in our towns. We have the right to defend ourselves from harm, even if it is the government who is harming us.
Especially hard hit are small desperate cash strapped towns like Lillooet. Tactics such as “fear mongering” over disease, or the “threat” that we won’t get any further grants unless we “buy into metering”, is wrong. Flawed ideals, filtering down from top to bottom, end up as bad decisions for Lillooet.
The importance of conservation and good water is not arguable in Lillooet. We already have excellent surface water and can conserve. What is muddying the waters is the flawed decision making, driven by all the wrong reasons. It is the wrong “choice” to make us drink poison arsenic well water. Metering in Lillooet has all to do with money and taxation, not conservation. Our governments are actually “creating” serious health and welfare problems for us in Lilloooet, in regard to water, when there was no basis for concern.
We discussed with Mr. Strahl, our petition rejecting forced metering. We argued cost and logic. Why we should not be forced to drink poison well water. We want a resolution to the water problems government has introduced us to. We hope he heard us.
When asked “do you consider potable water a basic human right”, this, he had difficulty answering, acknowledging that “water was essential to life”. Are we to believe all government now view water as a “commodity”? We briefly brought up grave safety concerns regarding pine beetle and fire risk. Unfortunately, today, a Lillooet fire has now started raining blackened pine needles and ash on our homes
Annually, Lillooet gets maybe 10” of rain a year. Mr. Strahl gets maybe 65”. Living in big, wet Chilliwack, no wonder he does not feel concerned about his share of the costs of being metered, growing his food or burning up in a fire.
Mr. Strahl was polite and listened. We asked for his help. We hope he, and all levels of government, will take time to reflect further on the “details” of Lillooets plight and help stop the bad decisions that are harming us. We trust he will do so.
We encourage everyone to read www.towntalk.ca, where the Lillooet Ratepayers have detailed our water issues and community concerns.
Submitted on behalf of the Lillooet Ratepayers Association,
K. Maxon, Chair
katemaxonhotmail.com
Lillooet Ratepayers say “NO THANKS” to Arsenic and Water Metering to MP Chuck Strahl. Federally, provincially and municipally driven initiatives are stripping the rights of people to control their waters. The public’s wishes are being bypassed. WHY?
Forcing Lillooet to meter, forcing Lillooet people to drink arsenic water is harming us. These “choices” are mistakes we wished to bring to Mr. Strahls attention.
People just like us from all over BC (and other provinces) are not being heard. We have a right to expect all our elected representatives to represent us well. First and foremost, in our health, safety and welfare.
We all have a right to our water, safe water, and to be in control of our water. We have a right to be heard, and to direct how we wish to live in our towns. We have the right to defend ourselves from harm, even if it is the government who is harming us.
Especially hard hit are small desperate cash strapped towns like Lillooet. Tactics such as “fear mongering” over disease, or the “threat” that we won’t get any further grants unless we “buy into metering”, is wrong. Flawed ideals, filtering down from top to bottom, end up as bad decisions for Lillooet.
The importance of conservation and good water is not arguable in Lillooet. We already have excellent surface water and can conserve. What is muddying the waters is the flawed decision making, driven by all the wrong reasons. It is the wrong “choice” to make us drink poison arsenic well water. Metering in Lillooet has all to do with money and taxation, not conservation. Our governments are actually “creating” serious health and welfare problems for us in Lilloooet, in regard to water, when there was no basis for concern.
We discussed with Mr. Strahl, our petition rejecting forced metering. We argued cost and logic. Why we should not be forced to drink poison well water. We want a resolution to the water problems government has introduced us to. We hope he heard us.
When asked “do you consider potable water a basic human right”, this, he had difficulty answering, acknowledging that “water was essential to life”. Are we to believe all government now view water as a “commodity”? We briefly brought up grave safety concerns regarding pine beetle and fire risk. Unfortunately, today, a Lillooet fire has now started raining blackened pine needles and ash on our homes
Annually, Lillooet gets maybe 10” of rain a year. Mr. Strahl gets maybe 65”. Living in big, wet Chilliwack, no wonder he does not feel concerned about his share of the costs of being metered, growing his food or burning up in a fire.
Mr. Strahl was polite and listened. We asked for his help. We hope he, and all levels of government, will take time to reflect further on the “details” of Lillooets plight and help stop the bad decisions that are harming us. We trust he will do so.
We encourage everyone to read www.towntalk.ca, where the Lillooet Ratepayers have detailed our water issues and community concerns.
Submitted on behalf of the Lillooet Ratepayers Association,
K. Maxon, Chair
katemaxonhotmail.com