Article content

Like any family, it would be good if British Columbians and Albertans talked more often. But that’s tough given the state of the pipeline debate, with politicians busy fanning the flames on both sides of the Rockies.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Opinion: Why I'm fighting the Trans Mountain pipeline project Back to video

If I was born and raised in Alberta, who knows? I might support Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain expansion. But I’m a British Columbian, and that means I’m going to fight this thing every way I know how. Let me tell you why.

My family arrived here on the southern B.C. coast in 1900, working in salmon fishing, farming, logging and sawmills. The stories of abundance from that era are incredible: rivers where you could run across on the backs of the fish, tree trunks the size of trucks.

Most of that is gone. The only industry still driving growth in B.C. is real estate – which is great if you’re a developer, foreign investor or one of their pet politicians. Not so great for the rest of us.

With the median family income in Greater Vancouver stagnant at $76,040 (Edmonton is $101,470), our housing costs have climbed completely out of control. It feels like the rest of the country has abandoned us to our fate. You probably know what that’s like.