Alberta is at Risk

The Alberta government should immediately study a full program of truck and transport inspections and licenses for vehicles crossing Alberta from British Columbia.

This urgent demand flows from my brooding on the manifold risks that Alberta citizens run every day to facilitate British Columbia fruit and vegetable producers.

Every day, thousands of tons of fruit and vegetables cross our boundary. This produce has been treated with state-of-the-art herbicides, chemicals and pesticides. The possibility of contamination from these substances is clear when you consider that people who use them load the sprayers and watering systems wearing Hazmat suits and protective breathing apparatus.

And for those loads which are untreated, there are, of course, all manner of bugs and insects which are native to the west coast but are invasive and dangerous for Alberta.

Our people and our agricultural industry are daily put in harm’s way as these semis and rail cars transit our magnificent province en route to Ontario, Quebec, and New York.

Don’t even get me going on the traffic and highway management risks. How many accidents are caused every day with trucks and traffic to support the BC farmers?

If this were not enough damage to suffer, we breathe the fumes and carbon dioxide from these trucks as they blithely cruise across our landscape. Though I am no believer in man-made climate change, many of my friends are appalled at the size of the carbon footprint left hanging in our air by this traffic.

No, my friends, this is no small sacrifice we are making.

Perhaps it is time for us to consider proper inspections of all the trucks and licensing fees for the traffic. Inspections for chemicals and pests that are risks to our way of life.

I want to hear what you think!

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