   |
      |
|
ELEPHANT IN OUR MIDST What to do about the elephant in our midst? If you travel on Cowichan highways, then you soon know about the virtual cascade of unprocessed logs emptying out of every side valley and thundering down to tidewater for export. For most of us this big fat elephant is impossible to ignore. For some of us it represents the continued visible reminder of the permanent loss of our Youbou sawmill jobs. For many more, it prompts a recognition and reinforcement of opportunities foregone and potential livelihoods lost. With the fading into the distance of each log-laden truck there also fades yet another creative woodworking possibility and another constructive alternative for forest-dependent communities. Somehow, our smiling MLA Graham Bruce, has remained singularly oblivious to the rampaging beast. As he happily tours his fiefdom, waving his wand and dispensing tax-funded goodies to selective nodding friends, he seems not to notice the elephant. Yet, on an evening in early February, at a public gathering in Duncan, former CEO Rick Doman identified the elephant, union leader Bill Routley named the elephant, Sierra Club forest campaigner Justin Calof saw it, as did Jack Moss of the Council of Canadians. Indeed, at least 250 citizens were stirred to noisily beat the bushes because they had seen the elephant and were outraged that it continued to rampage and steal their common wealth and security. What to do about the elephant? Perhaps the first thing we need to do is elect a politician that can actually see the elephant in his constituency. A person with the stature and guts to face it down and demand that logs will not be exported. |
|
