What “The Pass” and Ukraine have in common?

 

What “The Pass” and Ukraine have in common?

I considered not writing this week. I watch the news from Europe on French, German and British channels that have reporters on the ground in Ukraine. The Canadian Margaret Evans is also there reporting for the CBC. I don’t see the “Schlemiel” from the Real News there. Maybe he is chasing people who wear masks. He and his buddies are convincing Canadians that health measures mandated by the tyrannical democratically elected government abuse them.

We do not make health regulations to restrict freedom. Look at what our society did regarding secondhand smoke, noise, impaired driving, and so many other health and wellness issues.

 What do we in the Pass and Ukraine have in common? The answer is, we are situated over the water source of other people. You want to talk about “freedom?” Freedom is not the right to not take your medicine and trust that our socialized health care will take care of you at everyone’s expense. It’s not making laws that deny a compromised individual the ability to remain alive when there is a health threat based on science, but the right to life-giving water. Without water, a human is dead in less than a week. Water also is necessary for growing food, sanitation, and much more. I have a tee-shirt made by a first nations artist saying “water is life.” Nothing is more true than that. Water is “freedom.”

I have a friend close to Lethbridge who used to get water from the river. Now he must use a cistern that often runs dry.

Crimea was Russian territory off and on for a very long time. When Ukraine rid itself of a pro-Russian government, the Russians took over the strategic peninsula in the usual way. They supported a group of locals who were not happy with the existing government, had a quick predetermined referendum, and used their military might to take over. Ukraine had one more card to play.

Crimea is fed by water from the Dniepr river that comes through Ukraine’s territory. And global warming is now reducing the amount of water and snow in the region. First using sandbags and later building a proper concrete dam, the Ukrainians diverted the water source. Consequently, the Eastern provinces of Ukraine sided with Russia and rebelled against Kyiv. “Volunteer” Russian fighters appeared and we have the troubles that we see today. A million and a half Ukrainian women and children are refugees in the West.

If you follow world affairs on the news, you may see similar situations around the world. Israel, for example, depends on the Jordan river for a fresh water supply and the sources for the river originate in Lebanon and Syria. There are wars where water is scarce. Following the news is hard also since many people are masquerading as “news” and the Russians are masters at that.

Freshwater is so important that nations will risk it all and have wars over controlling their water supply. We, the people of the Pass, find ourselves sitting on the water source of southern Alberta. We are sure that we wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize the flow of water, but the people below refuse to take a chance. Russia has been trying to desalinate water in Crimea for years and it’s not working. People don’t trust promises when their lives depend on it. Here we want a third of the province, mostly agricultural folks, to believe us that strip-mining the slopes will not damage their aquifer.

I see on the news that Sonya Savage, our United Conservative Minister of Energy, is heading a one-woman campaign trying to keep the peace and please all sides. She openly consulted the Canadians affected by the coal and water debate, excluded the international investors, and made a decision. The mines already being worked on can meet all the regulations and go ahead while new mines wait for more studies.

I am not blindly a supporter of the provincial government that I frankly don’t trust, but I am impressed. The mine that may give the Pass some benefits will go ahead and give us a chance to see if the benefits are worth the risk. That was my position from the start. The people who attacked me in the paper for being against coal were wrong. Whatever is good for where I live is what I am for. I want this place to do well for the rest of my days and well after. I also will not spend one ounce of effort to make someone rich using our people to fight for their agenda.

Even just being viewed as threatening people’s water supplies, in a time when the ugly face of global warming is showing up, is enough to start a fight. Interfering with the headwaters can cause severe conflicts. I think the potential for a few jobs is not worth it. We got our coal, and now let’s get serious about taking real action to secure a future for the Pass.

We should get off the romantic notion of making a living off something that was a good business a hundred years ago and consider how it’s done in this day and age. Did anyone investigate becoming a university town? Alberta will need to retrain many people towards living in a world without depending on carbon. Can you think of a better place to do it than here? We can have research and training facilities in a most healthy and attractive environment. Of course, it would take some initiative but it can pay off.

For now, I think we can get on the news by asking the Feds to bring in Ukrainian refugees and offering to house them for the duration of the war. I can take some. We will have the empty York Creek Lodge building available soon, and we can speed things up. Provincial money could help.

God helps those who help themselves.

Here is a link to my blog: https://thesimpleravenspost.blogspot.ca/  Feel free to check other articles and comment.