Cleanup will serve for another election

Letter by Leo Peters
Cape Breton Post
Mon., May 16, 2005

I think it's time that the cleanup began. What else is there to study? I wonder who does all those studies. I suppose it's Liberal-friendly companies.

How many millions of dollars have gone into studies that could have been put towards the cleanup? Liberals have won their seats in this area in past elections by announcing tar ponds cleanup; it looks like the next election will be the same.

Prime Minister Paul Martin is giving the country away by going to bed with the NDP and adding $4.6 billion to the budget which I think he knows he doesn't have. Our prime minister will do anything to stay in power for a few more months — even going so far, it has been suggested, as to try to get some Conservatives to the take appointments to the Senate.

If the Liberals, and the NDP want to do another study let the ministers, prime minister, and NDP leader in Halifax come to Sydney and live in some of the houses near the cleanup sites and see how they feel afterward.

It's time the people of Cape Breton got up in arms over the tar ponds instead of allowing government to play games with the health and lives of the people.

We in Cape Breton have among shortest lifespans in Canada. I just read of geese spreading diseases by being in small ponds near pig farms; I wonder why our environmentalists aren't speaking up about the many birds in and around the tar ponds and the diseases they may be spreading.

On another topic, I agree with Mayor John Morgan that there are too many councillors. Most of them are doing nothing but drawing a fat salary. Some are a bunch of fat cats praising the Liberals and, as our mayor said, trying to blackmail us into voting for the Liberal Party.

Leo Peters
Louisbourg