10-year old Ta'Kaiya says 'Protect our coast from oil spills'
Jul 31, 2011
March 24, 2011
Open Letter to Canadian politicians,
My name is Ta'Kaiya Blaney. I am 10-years-old. I live in North Vancouver and am from the Sliammon Nation. My name means "special water."
I am writing to you because the Enbridge Corporation is planning to build a pipeline from the tar sands of Alberta to Kitimat, BC. I thought it would be very risky for our coast so I wrote a song, called "Shallow Waters" about an oil spill happening in the shallow waters.
You will be debating Bill C-606 soon, if an election is not triggered, which would ban oil tankers from our northwest coast. I am sharing my song's music video and a personal message to encourage you to vote in favour of the bill.
Today is the anniversary of the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska. Even today, 22 years later, oil still remains a few inches under the surface of the water.
With this song, I hope to encourage government officials, people of British Columbia, and people across the world will realize the dangers of oil pollution, replace jobs that destroy the environment with jobs that help the environment. I ask government and corporate officials such as yourselves change your plans stop oil tanker traffic on BC's coast and in waters around the world.
Please feel free to share my letter and video with others.
All my relations,
Ta'Kaiya Blaney
Shallow Waters was a semi-finalist in the 2010 David Suzuki Songwriting Contest, Playlist for the Planet. The song was recorded in studio by Audio Producer Joe Cruz. Footage from Vancouver, BC was filmed by Colter Ripley. Footage of the traditional ocean-going canoe from the Squamish Nation (Burrard Inlet, North Vancouver, BC) ; Ta'Kaiya in traditional cedar bark regalia (Tofino, BC); the Oil Refinery in Burrard Inlet; and the Vancouver Aquarium was filmed by Tina House. Additional footage contributed from Canada Greenpeace and Living Oceans Society.