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Douglas College turns down the heat

» How the Enbridge pipeline explosion affects students

 

Katie Czenczek
News Editor

 

t turns out even Douglas College has
been hit by the effects of the Enbridge
pipeline explosion.

Days after the BC government
announced their plans to build a $40
billion LNG natural gas pipeline, BC’s
current natural gas supply was disrupted
by a massive explosion on October g. In
the days following the explosion, about
100 residents of the Lheidli T’enneh First
Nation living near the pipeline were asked
to evacuate, but have now been allowed
back into their homes. The explosion
occurred merely two kilometres away from
the reserve.

North of Prince George, Enbridge’s
natural gas line and primary supplier to
FortisBC was heavily damaged. There
is however still a 30-inch pipeline that
continues to be in use, though it is only at
80 percent capacity compared to its normal
operation.

Douglas College itself will be reducing
its gas intake, meaning that it will be wise
to bundle up in classes as the weather
gets colder. Regan Lal, communications
manager for Douglas College, sent Douglas
College’s statement to the Other Press
about how this will affect the college's
campuses.

 

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“To help conserve gas reserves for
essential services, Douglas College will
be turning off heating systems at our
main campuses,” the statement read. Lal
highlighted in the email that students
were sent this information via the Douglas
College email server.

The college’s statement also wrote
that, “Fortis has not provided a timeline for
when normal service will resume.”

FortisBC has recommended ways
to avoid turning up the thermostat. On
their website they have asked people,
where possible, to keep thermostats at
a maximum temperature of 20°C. Other
recommendations to reduce heat use
include wearing sweaters, heating only the
rooms a person is in, having colder, shorter
showers, and washing laundry in cold
water.

According to a press release sent out
by FortisBC, the company will be receiving
“about only 4o [percent] of our normal
supply” for Vancouverites to use to heat
their houses. This could pose a major
problem especially for those up north as we
approach the winter season. Quesnel and
other cities throughout the province have
already begun to hit negative temperatures.

The impacts of the pipeline are also
reflected in soaring gas prices, so it may
also be wise to transit rather than drive to
classes. On October 13, gas prices increased
to 163.9 cents per litre in Metro Vancouver,
which is the region’s highest price to date.

International Day for the Eradication of Poverty

» BC's plans to tackle poverty

Tania Arora
Staff Reporter

 

On 17 was the International Day for
the Eradication of Poverty.

This year marked the 25th anniversary
of this day’s designation in 1992. The theme
was set by United Nations as “Coming
together with those furthest behind to
build an inclusive world of universal
respect for human rights and dignity.”

In the month of October before
International Day for the Eradication of
Poverty, the provincial government tabled
the Poverty Reduction Strategy Act. After
years of waiting, this is the first official
strategy aimed at tackling poverty by the
BC government.

According to the report released
by the Legislative Assembly of British
Columbia , the initiatives of the act must
aim to reduce the overall poverty rate
by 25 percent and the child poverty rate
by 50 percent within a period of 5 years
starting January 1, 2019. Certain provisions
will be available to low-income British
Columbians, Indigenous people, and
other intersections of marginalization.

The Government of Canada as well as
Indigenous and local governments will be
supporting the initiatives of the act. An

annual report will be made containing
the plans, execution strategy, effects, and
progress to monitor the implementation
of the Poverty Reduction Strategy.
Canadian citizens will have the right to
see the report, as it will be accessible to
the public. The government will also have
an advisory panel, at least half of which
will be women and people from each and
every community. Initiatives related to
the strategy will be carried out only after
consultations with the panel.

Trish Garner, Community Organizer
for the BC Poverty Reduction Coalition
(BCPRC), said in a press release that the act
was a good first step towards addressing

poverty in BC, but could be better.

“The legislation is the foundation
of a poverty reduction strategy,’ said
Garner. “While this Act hits many
accountability measures, there are gaps.
We hope these gaps can be filled through
a bold and comprehensive poverty
reduction plan, and we encourage the
general public to continue to advocate to
the government as they develop the plan to
be launched next year”

The BCPRC press release also stated
that if the proposed act were to succeed, it
would change the lives of 140,000 British
Columbians currently living in poverty.
Of these 140,000 people, 49,500 would be

 

children.

Poverty isn’t just a small issue which
exists in itself—it branches out to affect
many other aspects of life. It leads to
myriad world problems which won't be
solved in a fraction of a second. Years and
years of planning, execution, and work are
needed to lessen the impact of the issues
or eradicate them entirely. This Poverty
Reduction Strategy Act was put forward by
the government but there are many other
tools which citizens can use to overcome
these issues. Sponsoring children, projects,
communities, and making donations are
few examples. One single step can make a
huge difference.

Photo via @BC_ACORN on Twitter

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