Politics

Did Metro Vancouver chair Lois Jackson compare FVRD chair Patricia Ross to a mass murderer?

by Charlie Smith on July 26th, 2011 at 6:22 PM
    1 of 1 2 of 1

      The chair of Metro Vancouver, Lois Jackson, can get a little chippy whenever anyone questions her plan to incinerate an additional 500,000 tonnes of garbage per year.

      But this morning on CKNW Radio, I wondered if Jackson went a little further than usual.

      The host, Bill Good, mentioned that the chair of the Fraser Valley Regional District, Patricia Ross (who also sits on Abbotsford council), "has said there are absolutely no conditions under which incineration of garbage will be acceptable to us".

      Here's Jackson's response, taken from the CKNW audio vault:

      “Well, you know, we can take an absolute stand on anything. And we have seen what happened when a gentleman took an absolute stand in another part of the world. I don't believe in moving ahead in that manner. You cannot take absolutes in today's world. You have to sit down and talk about these things, trying to understand one another and what the problems are, what the science and technology is, rather than take an absolute stand. I just don't think that's constructive today."

      Tell us, chair Jackson, did that "absolute stand in another part of the world" happen to take place in Oslo, Norway? Were you really suggesting that Ross has anything in common with Anders Behring Breivik?

      Because if you were, you owe Ross an apology.

      Comments

      6 Comments

      @ Charlie Smith

      Jul 26, 2011 at 8:13pm

      I'd say Particia Ross is a bit of a loon, wouldn't you?

      This is a no brainer.

      Landfill is all cost, zero revenue. Landfilling the lower mainlands garbage in Cache Creek is a short term gain for long term pain solution. The garbage will sit there and fester for hundreds of years. It will require babysitting for decades or longer and that will cost. One way or another we will pay for it. Our children will pay for it. Our grandchildren will pay for it, .....

      There are a multitude of trucks running back and forth through the Fraser Valley every day carrying the garbage to Cache Creek, each truck emitting pollutants from is engine and tires. Each truck wearing the highway eventually leading to repair costs and associated pollution. If the garbage was railed to Cache Creek, there would be less pollution all along the route, but it still is a waste of resources to move the garbage hundreds of kilometers and putting your garbage in the back yard of someone else is irresponsible.

      Incineration will provide some revenue, probably not enough to zero out the costs, but landfilling yields zero revenue. Incineration reduces the amount to landfilled by an enormous factor. The ash will have to landfilled somewhere, but the volume will be a manageable amount. The present volume being landfilled is not manageable any more.

      Lois, thanks for speaking your mind.

      Nadine4444

      Jul 26, 2011 at 8:32pm

      She admitted that is what she was referring to when a caller asked her about it. She offered a non apology "I'm sorry if you were offended" and the discussion moved on. I too believe she owes Ms. Ross an apology.

      Shepsil

      Jul 27, 2011 at 11:12am

      Lois Jackson should resign from her positions as both Mayor of Delta and head of Metro Vancouver. Comparing her opponents to the worst mass murderer of this century is disgusting and unacceptable.

      There has been much discussion whether or not this mass murderer is insane. This is a moot point, just as it is irrelevant whether or not Ms. Jackson has the mandate to continue as our public servant. She has crossed a line and there is no going back now. Jackson's fate is now sealed in the elections coming this fall.

      @ Charlie Smith

      Jul 29, 2011 at 2:56pm

      Show me where Metro Vancouver clearly explains the financial model that will result in all this "revenue" from WTE? I wouldn't trust Metro to run a hot dog stand - never mind another shortsighted infrastructure project built on the backs of the taxpayer.

      Keep drinking the Carline kool-aid.

      glen p robbins

      Jul 30, 2011 at 1:52pm

      Lois Jackson owes Patricia Ross an apology. Her inference on absolute stands - within the context of an issue where the absolute stand from the Fraser Valley is quite reasonable to the people living in that region - was ridiculous, unprofessional, and disrespectful.