Open letter to mayor and council,
Re: "Council plows ahead with GE-crop ban," News, May 30.
Thank you for your considerable efforts in studying and debating this issue. To say I am overjoyed at the outcome would be an unnecessary understatement. But I say it anyway.
You will already know that hundreds and possibly thousands of people, not just in B.C., not just in Canada, but from many parts of the world are cheering your unanimous decision today. Thanks to the miracle of modern technology, messages on the current status of the discussions flew out of Richmond City Hall and across the country with almost each statement and each delegate's presentation. A reliable source reported to me that close on 20,000 people eagerly awaited each and every tweet. The eyes of the world were upon you, upon all of us. Such is the power of the Internet.
I informed a major and well-known U.S. GMO information site the next morning of council's decision and was mildly surprised to receive their reply that they had already learned of the news. I was not surprised to learn of their delight.
I believe we have seen democracy at its best. The remarkable array of delegates who shared their views was an inspiration. You have clearly tapped into a powerful vein of energy.
The news of your trend-setting decision is already flashing around the country and around the world. It is bound to inspire many others. Taken all together, the outcomes promise, as I had so fervently hoped, a better world for the seventh generation - for the children of my grandchildren's grandchildren.
To paraphrase one councillor who celebrates a significant birthday today: I could not imagine a better birthday present.
Larry Tolton Richmond
