Rafe Mair Online

Christy Carefully Conceals Coming Catastrophes

Jul 11th, 2014 by admin

LNG Terminal I am very alarmed and not a little annoyed at the Christy Clark government’s lackadaisical and casual attitude towards the dangers of liquified natural gas ( LNG) right from the source through to the last tanker leaving the Strait of Juan De Fuca. We are told that this production and sale of LNG will be the financial saviour of the province. Such was the enthusiasm for this project at the beginning we were told that by 2017 we want to have $1 trillion in the bank from this brilliant government initiative. That number is preposterous of course and it’s now been scaled down to $1 billion, further scaled down from that, and now no longer mentioned.

It is assumed by the government and indeed by the NDP that LNG and and it’s transportation both on land and on sea are relatively free from risk. Leaving aside “Fracking” for the moment, nothing could be further from the truth.

Nothing is free from risk. It is true that there is far greater attention paid to LNG tankers than to other fossil fuel carriers. It is also true that the leak of a LNG pipeline would not likely be so serious as a leak of bitumen or dilbut. That is a hell of a long way from saying that there is no risk. The risks of explosions at either a plant or from a tanker accident are sufficiently real that on at least two occasions the Congress of United States has done extensive investigations into their concerns and have concluded that there are very serious risks involved. Continue Reading »

Tags: LNG

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Different strokes…

Jul 10th, 2014 by admin

Photo by Will Borden, Future of Howe Sound

They are pretty thick in central Canada – especially in the media. They simply do not understand what makes BC tick. There seems to be this misapprehension that large international predators can pounce upon British Columbia at will and hack and slash away to their hearts content.

The central Canadian media has chided us for opposing pipe lines. Little do they understand the extent of our opposition to anything that desecrates our beautiful province.

Back in 1992 you may remember the Charlottetown Accord referendum. I received many calls from Toronto writers asking if it was really true that BC would vote no. When I replied that it was certain, they were surprised and asked how wide the margin would be? I told them about two thirds against and they gasped in disbelief! I had the great privilege of being called Canada’s most dangerous man by a cabinet minister and by Prime Minister Mulroney, a traitor. But I was not wrong – I think I know British Columbians. Continue Reading »

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Farewell, old friends

Jul 8th, 2014 by admin

32 Books in West Vancouver

This is a sad, two hanky, story.

Over the years I have collected over 1000 books. Because I became ill, it was necessary to convert the room at the very bottom of our townhouse into my bedroom and workshop. This required pulling down most of the bookshelves. Our townhouse is very small so now we have a problem – what the hell to do with all these books?

Wendy boxed the books – something like 30 or more boxes in all. We still have a few book shelves
left in my new room but nowhere near enough to look after what I have. This has meant that we have got to give away all these books, probably 600-700 in all.

The drill is that Wendy brings the boxes down and we look through them and I must announce whether or not I will keep it, bearing in mind my very limited space left, or give it away.

In giving a book away, for me, it’s like giving away a Labrador puppy. Each of these books I remember getting and each one sort of tells me a bit of a story. I remember why I bought the book and how pleased I was when it arrived. I remember, of course, that sometimes I was disappointed and didn’t read the book or only read partway. On the other hand far more of them brought supreme joy. Continue Reading »

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Tsilhqot’in Decision: Time to Grow up, Canada

Jul 7th, 2014 by admin

Schoolbook depiction of Iroquois society: growing up in Kamloops, a white child learned about some eastern First Nations but virtually nothing about those in BC

Gone are childish notions dismissive of native land claims.

The Tsilhqot’in (Roger William) case is a game changer.

There is aboriginal title and it does not depend, as our title to our houses does, upon the Crown but is totally independent of Crown interests. Moreover — and this is perhaps of more immediate concern — no longer are developers just required to consult with First Nations in proposing development, they must get consent.

There will be, of course, more cases but they’ll be by way of explanatory rather than breaking the new ground. No doubt other First Nations will want to define their rights and there may be actions by developers with respect to their proposals. At the same time, because of William, one can expect governments to be much more in the mood to settle, especially since First Nations seem incapable of losing in the Supreme Court of Canada! Continue Reading »

Posted in The Tyee | No Comments »

Time Canadians get used to Tsilhqot’in case, Aboriginal title

Jul 6th, 2014 by admin

Chief Roger Williams (left) at the the Supreme Court of Canada (Photo: Pei-Ju Wang)

The Tsilhqot’in First Nation’s Roger Williams case victory settles the question once and for all: there is aboriginal title, it is effective, and it can be enforced by aboriginal peoples.

This is a long way from where the law was 25 years ago and for many people that will take some getting used to. No doubt there will be gnashing of teeth and suggestions that perhaps Parliament should change this. Forget it – get used to it – Parliament has no such power as this was a Supreme Court of Canada interpretation of Canada’s Constitution. The only way it can be changed is by a constitutional change and that simply is not going to happen.

There are unanswered questions, of course. What about other aboriginal claims than the ones ruled upon here? Continue Reading »

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My Canada Day message for 2014

Jul 5th, 2014 by admin

Canada’s flag at the time of World War I

This a great year for anniversaries for Canada.

50 years ago we had D-Day, at which we distinguished ourselves greatly, and Dieppe where we got our asses waxed thanks to the brilliant strategy of Lord Louis Mountbatten.

For the purposes of this essay the anniversary of importance is the 100^th of the First World War.

Canada entered the war automatically. As Prime Minister (later Sir) Robert Borden said “when England is at war Canada is at war”.

This was not the unanimous view of all Canadians. The Liberal party were not entirely sure – in fact they effected cancellation of the several dreadnoughts that Borden had promised the Royal Navy in anticipation of hostilities.

Let‘s look at this from two points of view – did World War I establish Canada on the national stage? Did the First World War unify the country? Continue Reading »

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I’m back!

May 1st, 2014 by admin

Hi everyone!

Yesterday I returned from 4 1/2 months in hospital where I had three brushes with death.

I’m home now and though I’’m still pretty weak, I feel stronger and stronger as each day passes.

Thanks for your patience.

Best to you all.

– Rafe

Posted in General | 6 Comments »

Rafe Mair Lands Hard, Bounces Back

Jan 25th, 2014 by admin

Article by David Beers at The Tyee:

Late in the afternoon of Dec. 15 Rafe Mair decided it was time to take a break from moving books out of his downstairs office in the modest Lions Bay condo he shares with his wife Wendy. He climbed the 14 stairs up to the living room that commands a spectacular view of Howe Sound, felt his hand slip off the knob at the top of the banister, pitched backward and fell all the way down to the foot of the staircase.

When Rafe came to, he was being wheeled into an ambulance that would rush him to Lions Gate hospital in North Vancouver. There, doctors discovered he’d fractured his seventh cervical vertebra and that he believed he was trapped in an elevator on an ocean liner (a delusion sparked by the fact that Rafe and Wendy had been scheduled to depart soon on a cruise, now obviously moot). Continue Reading »

Tags: David Beers

Posted in The Tyee | No Comments »