I had the displeasure of listening to the CBC radio host Laura Lynch on Dec. 7 while driving between preferred radio stations. I long ago stopped listening to the CBC radio broadcasts.
Her topic and panel guest were discussing the largest solar panel installation currently ongoing in Alberta. The guest was extoling the virtue of this government funded project.
I actually thought I was listening to the old CBC satire program This is That.
The guest made the statement to the effect of "imagine you're looking at the rolling grassy hills of Alberta farmland, and instead you see a massive expanse of a solar panels in all directions.”
If the same statement were made with oil refineries or pipeline stations in place of solar panels, the outrage would be endless.
She also made the claim that this was "marginal farmland with negligible farming uses.”
I remember these same words being used by the government when the Site C project was being proposed and the outrage from the environmentalists at the flooding of this crucial environment.
B.C. is blessed to have the abundance of the cleanest hydro generated energy source on the planet. Dams control the water sources and can prevent and control flooding.
What kind of life forms will be living under the shade of a massive solar farm? No plants, no insects, no mammals. Not to mention the removal of these lifeforms from their natural balance of photosynthesis, carbon dioxide and carbon recycle.
The majority of solar panels are made in China with limited efficiency and life span, with toxic materials and negligible, cost-prohibitive recycling possibilities.
I was left in disbelief at the hypocrisy of the CBC. Fortunately for them they're funded by our tax dollars and are not required to deliver a suitable product, objective or researched opinion to their consumers.
Derrick Fulkco
Prince George
