Editor: Re: ,鈥� (The Times, April 19).

Like so many 91原创 folk, I cannot buy the notion that Big Oil is just a good sport who plays totally fair, in favour of its profit margins and all of our eco-concerns.

Sure, we have Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson, who is 鈥渇iercely opposed鈥� to the quintupling of tanker traffic due to pipeline development because 鈥渋t means unacceptable risk of an oil spill and massive cost to our economy and our environment.鈥�

He then promises that Vancouver will voice its opposition to the federal government-appointed National Energy Board members, as though they are likely to decide against the Vancouver expansion or the Northern Gateway pipeline project, for that matter.

Sorry, but oil sands projects proponent Stephen Harper and company know they鈥檒l one way or another have the last say, thus making Robertson鈥檚 opposition futile, except perhaps for some political grandstanding points, regardless of Robertson鈥檚 sincerity in his environmental concerns.

What we need is for all of the marchers and protesters 鈥� and especially the strong-willed determination of the aboriginal nations who have much to lose in the matter and refuse to be bought out regardless of their frequent poverty status 鈥� who are dead against such pipeline construction to translate their verbal steam into physical obstruction to any pipeline construction on B.C. territory.

Frank G. Sterle, Jr.,

White Rock