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450 independent businesses sign letter opposing Trans Mountain pipeline

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Describing the expansion of the Trans Mountain pipeline as just too risky, 450 small and independent businesses have signed a letter in support of Premier John Horgan’s opposition to the project.

Robert Safrata is one of the business owners who signed the letter, and he’s sharing his opinion that the project is dangerous and won’t contribute enough locally.

Safrata, a former Olympic skier who now makes his living showing off our pristine parks and local waters with his company West Coast Sightseeing, says if a spill happens as a result of this project, it will directly hurt his bottom line.

“In our businesses and those who are signatories to this, we do business differently,” says Safrata. “We think it’s a much better way of business and are able to prove that on an economic, environmental and social footprint [basis].”

Safrata says the pipeline doesn’t really fit in with the green brand this region has worked so hard to market to the world.

“People come here to see the natural beauty,” says Safrata. “It’s anathema to look out and see many more tankers versus trees, whales and natural beauty.”

Local tech entrepreneur Michael Tippett, chief executive of Wantoo, is also putting his name to this letter.

He’s particularly concerned about the possibility that the federal government appears to be planning to use tax dollars to support the project in some way, even if Kinder Morgan walks away.

“I think a lot of business people in the city here feel that [that would] not be a good use of taxpayer money,” says Tippett. “It’s ridiculous that Canadian taxpayers are potentially subsidizing a Texan oil company that is creating a product that is antiquated and out of date, and will be obsolete soon. There are better ways of producing energy and getting it out to the markets.

“We feel it’s bad policy, it’s bad business, and it’s bad for the environment.”

With the project creating only 50 permanent jobs and contributing only one per cent to municipal tax revenue if built, this group claims we’re taking on too much risk given that sort of return.

This group’s stance is in contrast to what we heard a week ago from 70 major business groups, including the Business Council of BC, which claimed the pipeline stalemate would scare off investment in our country, with some business leaders even describing the situation as a “constitutional crisis.”

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