May 26, 2003: The Effects Of Building Sumas 2 vs. The Effects of Continued High Immigration Levels on The Lower Mainland

Below is a comment sent to CBC radio regarding a connection between two items they broadcast: one is a series which was part of CBC’s celebration of Asian Heritage Month; the other was an item about the construction of an electricity-generating plant in Sumas, Washington.

The major point of the commentary is that immigration in the last 13 years has already produced the equivalent of most of the pollution that Sumas 2 will create. The other major point is that if anomalous and unprecedented immigration levels are allowed to continue, they will produce, in the next 20 years, pollution equivalent to 3 to 4 Sumas 2 power plants.

A third major point is that, although immigration is a federal
responsibility, Canadian cities, towns and municipalities are affected by immigration and have to express their concern about it.

Ms. Lorna Haeber
Executive Producer
Information Programming
CBC Radio One
Vancouver, B.C.

Dear Ms. Haeber:

Here are a few comments on two items which CBC radio aired in the past
couple of weeks:

(1) As you are aware, CBC Radio has once again paid much attention to so called “Asian Heritage Month”. The sub-text of much of what listeners heard has little to do with distant Asian heritage, but a great deal to do with recent Asian immigration. The message from the CBC is this: “Immigration is a wonderful thing! Let’s have more of it!!”

(2) As you are also aware, CBC Radio has recently devoted some time to
National Energy Board Hearings being held on a proposed
electricity-generation project on the American side of the
Canadian-American border. The sub-text of these broadcasts is that this energy project will be a disaster for the air quality and respiratory health of residents of the Fraser Valley.

In fact, this morning, A CBC reporter commented that building the Sumas Electricity Generation Plant will create air pollution equal to that generated by 300,000 vehicles. The message from the CBC is this: “What a horrible thing the construction of this electricity plant will be. Let’s stop it now and make sure something like this never happens!!”

(3) Here is the connection that the CBC did not make: In the last 13 years, the addition of well over 700,000 people (most of whom are immigrants) to the population of the Lower Mainland has also resulted in well over 300,000 vehicles being added to the roads of this area. Contrary to what a number of CBC reporters might think, immigrants’ vehicles cause air pollution too.

In other words, the mass immigration campaign of the last 13 years has
already resulted in the same effect that a future Sumas Electricity
Generation Plant will create in the future.

But let’s not stop there. If Citizenship and Immigration and Canada’s immigration industry (both cheerled by the CBC) get their way, the population of this area will be in the 4 million range within 20 years—again driven by immigration which Canada did not even need 13 years ago and does not need today.

If the population goes from its present 2 million with 1.3 million vehicles to 4 million with 2.6 million vehicles, this area would have generated pollution equivalent to a total of 4 Sumas Electricity Generation Plants. What kind of thinking says that it is absolutely wrong to build an electricity-generating plant because it will produce so much pollution, but that it is perfectly all right to continue a pathologically-insane mass immigration programme that will create 3 to 4 times as much pollution in the next 20 years???

(4) Thank heaven that May will come to an end soon and that we listeners will not have to listen to the pro-immigration message that is disguised as “Asian Heritage Month”. During this time, we are supposed to kneel at the shrine of recent Asian immigration and express our gratitude for the wonders it has brought us.

Here is a question that many at the CBC should ponder: Supposing the Sumas plant were to be built, can you imagine some organization setting aside even a day to give thanks to the Sumas Project for polluting and destroying the liveability of the Greater Vancouver/Fraser Valley areas?

Most rational people would say that such an idea would be insane. Well, think of setting aside a month every year to give thanks to a continuation of present mass immigration policies which will create 3 to 4 times as much pollution and environmental destruction as the Sumas Plant will. The sheer idea is apocalyptic and should evoke revulsion, not cheerleading, from all rational human beings—including those at the CBC!!

(5) Like the rest of us, CBC journalists have to be able to draw some
basic connections between issues.

Have an enlightened day.