CARBON TAX A MEANS FOR BETTER TRANSIT IN VALLEY

OSOYOOS TIMES-February 27, 2008

It may just be that the provincial government has again failed to consider B.C.'s rural areas in the 2008 budget it released on Feb. 19.

A carbon tax on all fossil fuels, including gasoline, is, in itself, a good thing.

Trying to encourage people to drive less is almost crucial in this day and age, not only for cutting down on the emissions we pump into the atmosphere, but for reducing pollution and conserving energy as well.

In a rural community such as Osoyoos, however, which is separated from its neighbouring towns and cities in the Okanagan Valley by considerable distances, it will be a challenge for residents to cover the 2.41-cent increase per litre of gasoline that will kick in July 1, should the budget pass in the legislature.

People here have a right to complain that such a tax could hurt them financially and it is fair to say that the province should focus more on pushing people to drive less in the larger cities where transit options are better and are expected to improve through the government's $14 billion transit plan, announced earlier this year.
(Again, another provincial project which could have focused more on improving transit infrastructure in smaller communities.)

And, of course, as many environmental agencies argue, shouldn't the government be doing just as much to penalize the heavy industries who release the most carbon emissions into the air?

To put a positive spin on this provincial neglect, maybe towns such as Osoyoos and Oliver and Okanagan Falls, and other small communities throughout the valley, will push harder to develop a better mass-transit system throughout the Okanagan corridor.

As it stands now, infrequent and inconvenient bus schedules don't give people here much incentive to consider hopping on a bus to travel to Penticton or Kelowna, even though Osoyoos Transit is working with the Regional District Okanagan-Similkameen to improve transit infrastructure.

But if valley residents are worried that increasing gas costs, coupled with the new carbon tax which is expected to jump to 7.24 cents per litre in four years, will put a strain on their wallets, then it's time for us to call on our local and provincial governments to provide better transit options.