Dear Editor,

When you think of registered charities you think of food banks, community living groups, church operations and other well-intentioned groups. There are also well-known environmental or social watchdogs that operate as registered charities but their activities are not always of a charitable nature. Many of these well-organized and connected environmental groups use their charitable status to raise funds that are then used to apply political pressure on local governments in support of special interests. Very often the message of these special interests dominates the local political landscape. Thinktwice is a group of individuals in the East Kootenay from Golden to Fernie that want to bring a balance back to environmental issues that impact our region and our families.

Our goal is to bring balance to discussions regarding important topics and ensure that facts and science will trump fear and emotion in decisions that affect us all. ThinkTwice mission is to bring common sense back into the debate leading to decisions about the environment and our economy at the local and provincial levels. Municipal and provincial politicians are continually pressured by special interest groups and non-governmental organizations that try and create a world based on their perceptions and ideologies.

There is factual, science-based information that counters many of the popular themes touted by environmentalists and preservationists. We are constantly bombarded with messages about “climate change, toxins in the environment, habitat destruction and species on the brink of extinction” and while we acknowledge these topics are important, it is also our belief that currently only one side to the story is being told.