Steven Heywood in his editorial (The News, June 24), suggested that the Town of Qualicum Beach should take no part in the issue of the Raven Mine because the coal-carrying trucks will go around the town rather than through it.
This implies that only Fanny Bay, where the coal is to be mined; and Port Alberni, where the coal is to be shipped, should have the right to challenge the environmental consequences of the proposed project.
I maintain that the whole of Central Vancouver Island will be affected by the mining and transportation of the coal and needs to become involved in the debate.
In the same article he points out that communities in East Kootenay have learned to live with coal mines and the sound of coal cars rumbling through the streets and that we, like them, should accept a scarred landscape and dust-laden air as signs of prosperity.
But why stop there? Perhaps, we should exploit the rich sand and gravel deposits that lie beneath our feet in Qualicum Beach and open a few pits here and there, or just dig up the golf course.
Herbert Sullivan
Qualicum Beach