Rick Peterson: The big reveal at Camp Cloud
By the time the RCMP moved in to evict protestors from illegal structures they had erected near Kinder Morgan's Burnaby facilities, the aggressive protestors who dominated the media and roughed up reporters had already moved on to the next demonstration, leaving only confused, probably homeless, people who had been recruited to the cause wondering what to do, says Rick Peterson.
Last week’s RCMP eviction of the Camp Cloud campers in Burnaby had a surprising revelation.
When the dust cleared, what we discovered was merely a cluster of confused, bedraggled and disoriented Camp Cloud residents wondering where to go next.
It’s clear now that many of those arrested and evicted are very likely homeless. They need help, no doubt about it. Here’s hoping B.C.’s social services can offer it to them.
They were vulnerable, needed a place to live and belong, and were easy to recruit to the cause.
But when push came to shove, they were cut loose and abandoned by the people who sold them a bill of goods and left them standing, alone, to do the dirty work when the rule of law came calling. That’s the big reveal of Camp Cloud.
Where were the angry, aggressive Camp Cloud leaders — the same people who roughed up two Suits and Boots volunteers two weeks ago?
They were nowhere to be seen. The very people who drew vulnerable people into their circle of shacks and lean-tos had long since flown the coop.
One posted a rambling video of wild claims about the event from the kitchen of a nice house, apparently her home. The others? Who knows — likely moving on to the next protest scene.
These are the same people who show up at other protest sites — especially fish farms. It has been well-documented they are funded by foreign interests — often people who have a financial stake in competing industries, like U.S. oil and gas and the owners of wild fishing fleets.
They’re not in it for the ideals, but to hamper Canadian competitors. Misinformation is their currency.
Too often they stand unopposed because the people in the industries they are going after are too busy working at their jobs or volunteering in their community to get out and protest.
As a result, what gets lost in the media coverage is the importance of the other side — just how critical Canada’s responsible resource industries are to our nation.
Simply put, Canada’s economy is based on resource use. Without it, our society collapses.
Canada’s resource companies pay a lot of taxes — as they should. Those taxes pay for the healthcare, education, and other social services we all, including Camp Cloud campers, rely on.
Also, we do it right, with strict environmental and social regulations protecting our land, waters, and workers alike.
Our industries deliver the metals electric cars are built from, the oil and gas we all burn in our cars and homes.
Our industries also deliver innovation — new, green technologies that will be our future.
Protestors don’t deliver innovation and jobs — or taxes that pay for their social services.
However, our industries are hampered every day by protestors and their foreign backers. Western Canada lacks pipeline capacity to get our oil to the world markets, so Alberta’s oil companies are forced to sell at a deep discount to refineries in the U.S. Midwest, giving up $40 million in lost revenue every day.
That’s money lost to Canada’s economy and gifted to the U.S. That is a lot of lost taxes, lost jobs.
Other countries around the world are still getting oil — but from places like Russia and Saudi Arabia rather than Canada. Places without our strong social and environmental standards.
Working people of this province have finally had enough anti-resource propaganda and misinformation.
We can’t let that story get lost in the focus on protestors and the spin from their radical, foreign-funded leaders who recruit homeless people to do their dirty work.
It is time for moderate Canadians to stand up, say that’s enough, and push back — not with violence and misinformation, but with fact and passion for our nation.
https://vancouversun.com/opinion/op-ed/rick-peterson-the-big-reveal-at-camp-cloud
By the time the RCMP moved in to evict protestors from illegal structures they had erected near Kinder Morgan's Burnaby facilities, the aggressive protestors who dominated the media and roughed up reporters had already moved on to the next demonstration, leaving only confused, probably homeless, people who had been recruited to the cause wondering what to do, says Rick Peterson.
Last week’s RCMP eviction of the Camp Cloud campers in Burnaby had a surprising revelation.
When the dust cleared, what we discovered was merely a cluster of confused, bedraggled and disoriented Camp Cloud residents wondering where to go next.
It’s clear now that many of those arrested and evicted are very likely homeless. They need help, no doubt about it. Here’s hoping B.C.’s social services can offer it to them.
They were vulnerable, needed a place to live and belong, and were easy to recruit to the cause.
But when push came to shove, they were cut loose and abandoned by the people who sold them a bill of goods and left them standing, alone, to do the dirty work when the rule of law came calling. That’s the big reveal of Camp Cloud.
Where were the angry, aggressive Camp Cloud leaders — the same people who roughed up two Suits and Boots volunteers two weeks ago?
They were nowhere to be seen. The very people who drew vulnerable people into their circle of shacks and lean-tos had long since flown the coop.
One posted a rambling video of wild claims about the event from the kitchen of a nice house, apparently her home. The others? Who knows — likely moving on to the next protest scene.
These are the same people who show up at other protest sites — especially fish farms. It has been well-documented they are funded by foreign interests — often people who have a financial stake in competing industries, like U.S. oil and gas and the owners of wild fishing fleets.
They’re not in it for the ideals, but to hamper Canadian competitors. Misinformation is their currency.
Too often they stand unopposed because the people in the industries they are going after are too busy working at their jobs or volunteering in their community to get out and protest.
As a result, what gets lost in the media coverage is the importance of the other side — just how critical Canada’s responsible resource industries are to our nation.
Simply put, Canada’s economy is based on resource use. Without it, our society collapses.
Canada’s resource companies pay a lot of taxes — as they should. Those taxes pay for the healthcare, education, and other social services we all, including Camp Cloud campers, rely on.
Also, we do it right, with strict environmental and social regulations protecting our land, waters, and workers alike.
Our industries deliver the metals electric cars are built from, the oil and gas we all burn in our cars and homes.
Our industries also deliver innovation — new, green technologies that will be our future.
Protestors don’t deliver innovation and jobs — or taxes that pay for their social services.
However, our industries are hampered every day by protestors and their foreign backers. Western Canada lacks pipeline capacity to get our oil to the world markets, so Alberta’s oil companies are forced to sell at a deep discount to refineries in the U.S. Midwest, giving up $40 million in lost revenue every day.
That’s money lost to Canada’s economy and gifted to the U.S. That is a lot of lost taxes, lost jobs.
Other countries around the world are still getting oil — but from places like Russia and Saudi Arabia rather than Canada. Places without our strong social and environmental standards.
Working people of this province have finally had enough anti-resource propaganda and misinformation.
We can’t let that story get lost in the focus on protestors and the spin from their radical, foreign-funded leaders who recruit homeless people to do their dirty work.
It is time for moderate Canadians to stand up, say that’s enough, and push back — not with violence and misinformation, but with fact and passion for our nation.
https://vancouversun.com/opinion/op-ed/rick-peterson-the-big-reveal-at-camp-cloud
