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April 23 2008 » Media Releases

Bennett’s Flathead Stance Should Signal MacKay on Sacred Headwaters

Editor’s Note: The following media release is from North Coast MLA Gary Coons

PRINCE RUPERT—North Coast MLA Gary Coons is encouraged that the Liberal MLA Bill Bennett, formerly minister of Energy and Mines, has chosen to take the lead from his constituents by speaking out against coal mining and coalbed methane development in the Flathead Valley. Coons hopes Bennett’s colleague, Liberal MLA Dennis MacKay, will learn from Bennett’s mistakes and start listening to people in the Bulkley Valley-Stikine who want the Sacred Headwaters protected from coalbed methane extraction.

“Here you have another member of the Liberal government who was ready to run roughshod over the environment over the protests of his constituents,” said Coons, “and he has turned completely around. It good that he has finally put his personal opinions aside stopped arguing against the protection of the Flathead; hopefully MacKay will do the same with the Sacred Headwaters.”

Residents of Telkwa, outraged by MacKay’s statement in the Legislature on Monday that they could light their tap water on fire even without commercial coalbed methane development, have signed a letter stating that the MLA’s statement about the state of their water is not correct.

“I think it is very disappointing that the honorable member for Bulkley Valley-Stikine would assert something that is most emphatically not true,” said Coons. “He would be well advised to check his facts before making wild claims about people’s tap water.”

“If the Liberal MLA for Bulkley Valley Stikine really cared to listen to his constituent’s concerns about coalbed methane he would be better informed about what is going on in Telkwa,” noted Coons. “Maybe he should take Bennett’s lead and start representing the people who elected him.”

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