Stop Virtue Signalling Canada!

Stop Virtue Signalling Canada!

The conspicuous and disingenuous expression of moral values with the intent to enhance one’s own image

Let’s start with a story.  A true story – from Canada’s Arctic: Iqaluit Garbage Dump, May 20, 2014

“An unquenchable fire that has been smouldering for weeks deep within the bowels of Iqaluit’s garbage dump has now forced the closure of schools and prompted a health warning as thick, white smoke billows over the Nunavut capital. The only way Iqaluit can put out its weeks-old dump fire before winter is to scoop out all the garbage, dunk it in a special pond and then put it back in the ground, a garbage fire expert has told the Nunavut capital. “I think you have two or three months to put this fire out … time is of the essence,” Tony Sperling, a Vancouver-based dump fire consultant.” [they just waited until it burned out, meaning people were breathing in toxic air for months] https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/the-only-way-iqaluit-can-deal-with-its-dumpcano-is-to-scoop-up-the-garbage-and-drop-it-in-the-lake

 

After that disaster the Federal government decided to try something different. How about thinking of garbage not as a problem, but as a source of energy? One company they supported in the development of such technology, especially suited for remote locations like Iqaluit, was Terragon, based in Montreal. They have developed technologies for garbage and grey/black water that means all “waste” is now treated at source and is turned into a useful resource. In other words, like Nature, there is no waste, there is no “throwing away”. Anyway, back to Iqaluit. The Feds supported the installation of one of their Micro Auto Gasification System{MAG} units [turns garbage into energy] Terragon at Iqaluit as a test. It worked. Then the local government was given money to improve their garbage system so that the same toxic smoke event, which was dangerous to the health of the citizens, would never happen again. However, given CDN politics, the local town council was given the choice of what system they desired: the MAG system of Terragon for 3 million that would produce energy for the town or a larger dump built further from town which required a new road for a cost of $15 million. Guess which they chose? The bigger dump with a road of course!  It would funnel more money into the pockets of their family and friends – pretty obvious choice!

Now, you may say, how is this virtue signalling? Everybody in the above story is making what they think is a virtuous choice – but at the end of the day there is no moral result. Now I have this bias, as an Engineer, to want results that actually work in the real world – not efforts that are aspirational, and thus, in my opinion, actually virtue signalling. You may object – but nobody was knowingly doing that. Well, if you only had this one case you would be right. But there is a consistent pattern in Canada, and I imagine it is not too different elsewhere, of meaning well, but getting a terrible result. Excuses can be made, but at the end of the day if we keep on doing the same thing – meaning well –  but getting no effective result – well, that is either virtue signalling run amok or insanity. Now that you mention it, perhaps it is insanity…

If the definition of Insanity is to keep on doing the same thing and expecting a different results we are clearly insane.

Here are a couple of other examples to make the point.

1. Below is the new and improved dump in Iqaluit – on fire again in 2018
2. The infamous graph of Canada’s treaty “commitments” to climate change. Well meaning, never achieved. Not even close. Not even a sincere effort.
3. 1. Our Covid Results as Compared to Australia, a company with similar history, culture, & politics and thus a fair comparison. These are # of cases TODAY [Dec.16]

   Australia: 13

   Canada:   6424

4. Key components to the much awaited Canada Climate Change plan

   Subsidies for Oil/gas companies:  $3 billion

   Building of pipelines: The Trans Mountain pipeline expansion is a go

   Feds have provided 2.5 billion in support to the oil and gas sector to clean up orphan and inactive wells and to reduce fugitive methane emissions – this could undermine the polluter pays principle.

    

    

    

   I think you get the idea. Now, much of our approach in Canada can be justified – IF you think you want to keep the old way of living going. But that’s the problem: we have to admit the past is the past. The 21^st century is giving us new problems which need new approaches. We all know this. We all say this. We just don’t do it. Our approach reminds me of the French construction of the Maginot Line during the 1930s. They spent the equivalent of 3 TRILLION dollars to build a series of fortresses which could easily have been spent much more effectively on the new technology: tanks and airplanes. They looked backwards instead of forwards. The results were catastrophic. So Canada – time to wake up! Let’s stop virtue signalling, stop looking backwards and move into the future – which is coming our way whether we like it or not!