Re this issue of the proposed water bottling plant: I am very opposed to that ever happening and I support Kim and Tore Thorn in their letter of July 4, 2007 in the Sentinel.

I also strongly support Agnes Blanchette in her letters in both papers regarding this issue; also, Laurel McKirdy who wrote in from Prince George in the Robson Valley Times.

I was born here a number of years ago and as I grew up, I can remember having 6 or 7 feet of snow on the ground right here in town and 60 below zero weather! In about 1933 to 1941, I can remember to winters seemed so long – it took ages for the snow to melt in the spring and when it did, we had to wear gumboots to our knees to go to the store or Post Office as there were pools of water you had to wade through to get there.

I was away for a number of years in the 40’s to the 80’s and when I came back I never expected to hear of this situation with our water supply as we always said “we have the best water.” I never once thought it would go so low. To actually have places dry up like Agnes Blanchette mentions in her letter, the swamp, the bird sanctuary, etc.

To see such a change is scary, and I believe now it can still get worse. More so if Irvin Leroux tapped into it for the bottling plant to supply other people who haven’t water and for profit for himself. When we run out of water, what would Mr. Leroux do for us?

We have to protect our water supply for our whole community and I don’t think anyone should have access to it for the purpose of bottling and selling it for profit and export, and as I think it has been said before – Our Water is Not For Sale.

Helen Hansen, Valemount