Real energy efficiency is available today

Re: Power pole politics get weirder (B.C. Views, July 22)

The attempted case was made here for run-of-the-river electricity. It’s supposed to be more efficient, cheaper and allow for energy independence. However, it fails on each account.

The definition of efficient at Dictionary.com says, “performing or functioning in the best possible manner with the least waste of time and effort.”

By this definition, getting British Columbia landlords to double-pane all the windows and double the wall insulation in apartment buildings would be a much more efficient use of money and labour per unit of energy spent and saved. Windows are still single-paned in many B.C. rental buildings.

That should happen before investing in run-of-river projects. Otherwise, the juice goes into a sieve. Not very efficient.

Cheaper? Only for the time being. Private electricity firms have a notoriously dubious record of keeping electricity at the low rate when it first comes on line. These B.C. projects are being heavily subsidized by the taxpayer and ratepayer.

Energy Independence? Much run-of-river juice will go to the United States. They are six per cent of the world’s population and consume at least 43 per cent of the world’s energy. Do B.C.ers want to subsidize that kind of profligacy?

It’s time for real energy efficiency, affordability and independence. It’s time to massively invest in infrastructure conservation and renovation, public transportation, local food security and habitat-preserving solar renewable energy. Otherwise, it’s the sieve again.

Larry Wartel

Victoria

New tax scheme riles reader

I am extremely concerned with the increased taxes on basic services that will result from this 12 per cent harmonized sales tax.

I understand that business has been lobbying for it, but what about the residents of B.C.? Business may be pushing for this, but in the long run they are going to lose more than they will gain. Every dollar taken out of people’s pockets in the form of tax is one less dollar that they can spend.

In a time of economic crisis where people are losing their jobs and can barely pay the bills, introducing a seven per cent tax on items like B.C. Hydro, oil and gas, Shaw Cable services, food products, hair cutting, funeral services, vitamins, medications and other basic items that have always been PST exempt is going to be a huge burden on B.C. residents.

Items that were PST exempt should remain so regardless of the combination of the taxes. If they can’t make it PST exempt then they should make it HST exempt.

Basic items and services should not be taxed, period.

Lara Allsopp

Saanich

Environmentalists preach dogma to devout followers

The environmental lobby has moved from a group concerned about the environment to a following entrenched in a religious dogma.

Environmentalists are another religious sect. They have as their gospel the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report, their high priests are Al Gore and David Suzuki, and the followers are so devoted to their principles that nothing else matters.

The commandments are the same as any other religion: the true believers will lead the non-believers to the promised land; they must go out and convert the non-believers, all non-believers who do not submit are appropriately punished.

It seems to me that the CRD building downtown is nothing more than a church. How many people on our numerous boards and councils, commissions, etc., have interest in wind power, or companies such as Stantec engineering, an environmental consultant hired to do the job of engineers we already have on municipal payrolls?

Time to clean house Mr. Campbell, if you have the moxie to stand up to these zealots.

Robert P. Nicholas

View Royal

Telecom industry more important than we realize

During the heady days of the dot-com market boom, Nortel had a market cap of several hundred billion dollars.

Today it has technology assets worth about a billion, plus buildings. Nortel’s colossal failure looks like another example of the scams of the dot-bomb years with true-value being a fraction of prior dreams.

The question now, is government oversight of Nortel’s liquidation required?

Unlike other bailouts, there is no immediate economic imperative to save Nortel. The automotive bailout saved about 500,000 manufacturing jobs worth $25-75 billion a year. If that industry had fully collapsed it would have dragged down all manufacturing – most probably resulting in an economic depression lasting a decade.

In contrast, Nortel was never as integral to the Canadian economy as manufacturing and banking.

Nevertheless, Nortel’s remaining wireless assets represent a strategic technology.

As important as rail was to the founding of Canada, telecommunication holds Canada together today. Nortel’s remaining assets have national significance.

A bailout does not make sense, but insuring that the assets remain under Canadian oversight is in our national interest.

Unfortunately, our current federal government has willingly sacrificed the public interest before (for example: the lumber industry, nuclear cancer medicine, food inspection, and wheat marketing).

At present, Mr. Harper’s economic deconstructionism is making Mr. Diefenbaker’s dismantlement of our aerospace industry look trivial.

We can have little confidence that Mr. Harper will act appropriately toward Nortel’s strategic assets.

We have a big problem in Ottawa.

Eugene Parks

Victoria