I find it reprehensible that two of the names on the list for the Order of B.C. are people who actively worked to tear apart the environmental and democratic fabric of British Columbia. Gordon Campbell skulked out of his role as premier and one of the most disliked and mistrusted premiers in the history of the province. He lied to the people of British Columbia and set laws in place that stripped away communities’ rights to protect their own environment and will likely bankrupt BC Hydro.

Jim O’Rourke is a miner, and the chairman and director of Compliance Energy Corporation. This company has an eye on the Comox Valley as the next Appalachia of the North to begin coal mining, both underground and open pit. Their mines would be located in the heart of the Comox Valley’s watershed, about three miles uphill of Baynes Sound and one of the most productive oyster growing areas in the world. The coal mines will poison the watershed and contribute over 60 million tonnes of greenhouse gases to an already overstressed atmosphere. The Order of BC recipients are chosen by the Chief Justice, the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, a President of one of BC`s Universities, the President of the Union of British Columbia Municipalities, amongst others. These two choices tell me which direction our government is looking to. They will sell our children’s future in a blind rush to keep themselves in power.

This is a sad day for British Columbia when these two names get put on the same list as great British Columbians like David Suzuki and Rick Hansen.

Tom Wheeler
Fanny Bay, BC