Sdliarial om

The opinions expressed in this column do not necessarily reflect those of the staff of this publication or the Student Union.

nyone notice those little white flakes that have been

drifting around here and there every once ina while? For

those of you who are in the denial stage, that’s snow, and the inescapable truth is that everyone’s favourite season, win- ter, is coming to P.E.I. Now’s the time of year that a lot of Islanders get the worst case of cabin fever since the Mad Trapper, and a lot of the natives start scrambling to the sea like lemmings in an effort to blow this popsicle stand before we’re frozen in. Some seek out any haven south of the Maritimes, others would simply like to explore the mainland and do some carly Christmas shopping; but wherever they’re going, they ’ve got to slip past the Northumberland Strait first, and the idea of abridge making that passage more convenient is probably looking even better at this time of year. Who wouldn’t wanta fixed link that would let us zoom on and off the Island whenever we felt like it, especially during an economic recession when awhopping construction project like the bridge holds the prom- ise of jobs and dollars for a small province like ours? Before we tush blindly into this, though, it would be wise for us to check and double-check the economic, environmental, and social tonsequences of the project, or we may find that our economic Saviour turns out to be the developmental Anti-Christ.

terhaps the most unsettling thing is how the whole bridge business seems to be a done deal, even though the latest project hoposal hasn’t been given the go-ahead. Strait Crossing Incor- horated has not yet gotten official federal acceptance of their Moject, but they’ ve already set up offices on the Island and gone bout the costly and environmentally disruptive business of (tilling test holes in the floor of the Strait. S.C.I. seems to think ty’ ve got the contract in their pocket, and they may well be ight. An unpopular federal government and a leaderless pro- lncial government will soon be facing elections, and the ‘'vival-conscious politicians probably might see the fixed nk as just what the doctor ordered for making voters see how ‘sh-darn great their governments are. That’s scary, albeit sdly predictable reasoning in politics, dangling short-term ins in front of the voters without stopping to consider the long ‘'m effects and costs.

Pae obvious potential cost is damage to the environment. Sheries industries are vital to P.E.I., and the construction of bridge poses a number of possible difficulties, such as an istacle to the break-up of ice in the Strait. No study has "tclusively shown that there will be no significant environ- “ttal disruption in the Strait, and we might want to think “ce about disturbing the environment there at a time when Vindling fish stocks are already threatening the future of much the Atlantic fishery.

One major argument for the bridge is the presumed economic prosperity it will bring, but that’s a dubious short-term prospect at best. One analyst said the bridge construction would create 750 new jobs, but only about fifty-percent of those (375 or so) would go to P.E.I. specifically. The prospect is even less impressive when you consider that about 600 jobs will be lost ifthe ferries shut down. Communities that depend on the ferry traffic will be economically crippled, and Borden and its ilk may become ghost towns virtually overnight, while the finished bridge will require fewer employees for its maintenance than _ did the ferry system. In short, there really won’t be much, ifany, gain forthe P.E.I. workforce. Moreover, while the bridge would make travel more convenient, there’s no guarantee that in- creased traffic to the Island would be economically beneficial. It might, in fact, lessen the perception of the Island as a unique travel destination outside the rest of Canada. P.E.I. could become a commonplace, tourist-trap suburb of mainland New

ale developmental Anti-Christ."

Brunswick, aconvenient drive away and nothing to write home about. There’s no guarantee that a bridge will bring us a bonanza of out-of-province investors and consumers, and people should keep in mind that a link would also make it easier to drive off the Island. Merchants here are already sobbing about the waves of Island shoppers doing business in Moncton, a situation that led the P.E.I. provincial government to recently partially legalize Sunday shopping here in a pathetic and cynical about- face from their earlier policy. With a fixed-link, dollars could just as easily flow out of the Island as they could flow in, and there may not be any pot of gold at the end of our bridge.

What Islanders should do now is pressure their local politicians into addressing and examining the issue. Up until this point, the provincial government has been pretty noncommittal and con- tent to let the federal government and its appraisal of the proposed bridge decide the matter. Before this whole business goes any further, Islanders should voice their concerns to their leaders and make certain this project is not a harmful one; better that option than to realize, years later, that we’ve created a monster.

Sean McQuaid Editor-in-Chief

P.S. ‘Prince Edward Peninsula’’? Nah. Good old Lucy Maud must be whirling in her grave.