Date: Sat, 21 Feb 2009 13:35:22 -0700
Subject: Letter to the Editor
From: tkhalifax@northwestel.net
To: entertainment@nnsl.com; editor@nnsl.com

News North Editor

I just finished reading your article promoting France Benoit’s new “documentary” about the Mackenzie Gas Project and would like to offer the following definition from Oxford:
adjective 1 consisting of documents and other material providing a factual account. 2 using film, photographs, and sound recordings of real events.
While I have not seen this film, from what she’s said in the article gives a pretty good idea of exactly just how “factual” this film really is.
Ms. Benoit and her ilk are under the misconception that by stopping the MGP they will somehow stop production at the “tar” sands. This is an erroneous conclusion that has no basis in fact. The oil sands have done quite well without arctic gas and will continue long into the future without it. Further, there is no science or factual evidence to conclude that there are any negative effects in the downstream waters of the oil sands.
Ms. Benoit must have traveled far and wide to find people to speak out against the pipeline, but if facts matter, most people along the pipeline route are in favour of it.
Yes, Ms. Benoit may receive some attention to her “documentary” in Ottawa, Montreal and even Yellowknife, but we along the proposed pipeline route know the real facts.
The Sierra Club and her other environmental extremist cohorts have decimated the fur industry leaving these communities without an income and without hope. The social and economic impacts of those anti-fur campaigns have ruined a culture and a way of life. The pipeline has shone some glimmer of hope along the valley to these otherwise isolated and poverty-stricken communities.
I invite Ms. Benoit to bring her film to Inuvik. I’ll be standing outside, handing out rotten produce to hurl.

Terry Halifax
867.678.2899
Inuvik