Since the announcement last week that the Government of Canada would step in and buy the Kinder Morgan Pipeline Project, rallies for both support and concern have become more popluar across the nation.
That trend continued today in Smithers as there was an anti-pipeline protest set up outside of Local MP, Nathan Cullens office.
Here’s rally representative, Stephanie Martin, with her take on the event.
“This is Smithers contribution to the national day of protesting on the government’s decision to arbitrarily buy the Kinder Morgan Pipeline for $4.5 billion dollars. Obviously, as a taxpayer, I’m opposed.”
Although it may have been an opposition rally, Martin says they were more than willing to respectfully listen to both sides of the conversation.
“We most certainly will listen to everyone. Each person in the community has a voice and deserve to have their opinions heard. Decisions need to be made using all of the voices in the community, not just some federal official in Ottawa.”
Martin says whether or not you support the project, it’s key to getting out to events such as this.
“I think there’s a long rich history of rural representation in regards to protests. Frequently we are not listened to and unfortunately, it seems as though we don’t amount to the same respect that urban centers do. With that being said, we do need to voice our concerns, we do need to raise a stink, and we need to pass the word along. We may not have many voices, however, they are equally as important as the rest.”
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