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Dion · 01-14-2017, 07:33 PM

Pete Potipcoe
15 hrs ·

**AN OPEN LETTER TO JANE FONDA **
Dear Jane,

My name is Peter Potipcoe a local radio host here in Fort McMurray and proud member of this community. I'm writing this letter in hopes that perhaps enough people share it and it eventually is so blatantly in your face you can't avoid reading it.
I'll be the first to admit I was immediately angry when I heard you were planning a trip to Fort McMurray and a tour of the Oil Sands using representatives from Greenpeace as your tour guides. Greenpeace isn't exactly known for their non-biased views on the region. However, the anger quickly left and was replaced with sadness for the people of my community as well as the many First Nations citizens whom help make up this large region. I knew right away this was to be a fly in fly out stop over in which you observe the mining operation from the sky and hear a few stories that back up the false narrative being spoon fed to you. Those assumptions quickly transformed to fact as I watched your interviews with the CBC and other media outlets. You quickly took whatever was told to you and regurgitated it to the press as a person who now has a clear understanding of the area and what is happening. How can that be Jane? Did you do your due diligence and get facts from both sides of the equation? I see you toured with the Fort McMurray First Nations but did you perhaps talk to the 800 plus Fort McKay First Nations citizens whom are pro Oil Sands and are proud to say so? Did you bring a scientist to help explain in a non-biased way what exactly you were looking at? No you didn't. You flew over a open pit mine at 150mph and made up your mind on exactly what was happening bellow you. Then when interviewed your rhetoric only used feelings not facts to describe what you saw happening. I have to say I'm very proud of my fellow Fort McMurray citizens who confronted you on it and wanted to engage in some form of adult discourse but you quickly scurried off pretending like you had sympathy and a clear understanding on what it is to like to live in the region of Wood Buffalo.
The real sadness was felt for me at the fact you have chosen this time to smear campaign our region, our lively hood, and our home when a mere 9 months ago the WHOLE region was evacuated due to wild fire. Did you stop to think about that at all? Many of my fellow citizens are still struggling deeply with it and the city has an ora of PTSD surrounding it, many families couldn't even return and those that have are still healing form the stress that it caused. Now, attach that with an economy that has crashed massive job loss and people not being able to afford to eat (Our Food bank has seen 70% increase) you have a very vulnerable city. I was super upset when one of our own people tried to explain that to you and you took her hand as if to provide sympathy and stated "I saw the effects of the fire and I'm very sympathetic" but then you scurried away again as this women poured her emotions out to you about us. Your timing is about as tactful as a bull in a china shop and your sympathy not only shows surface deep nobody here believed it.

Fun fact, did you know those big bad oil companies you were here to smite were the ones that helped save this city. They housed over 30 thousand people as they evacuated for their lives, flew them out of the danger, fed them, paid them and donated millions in equipment to help battle the disaster. If it wasn't for those companies digging deep for us and helping with massive resources this city would be lost. Did you perhaps get that side of the story about the oil sands here in Northern Alberta? No, you saw pictures. You know everything.
In closing Jane, to fully understand what happens here on a day to day level you would have to come spend more than half a day and immerse yourself in the whole situation. I really wish a celebrity would approach the idea like that one day but I've yet to see that discussed. It is a place that leads the world in environmental standards, we have some of the best reclamation projects around the globe and we care about safety and the development of ethical oil and energy. It also takes hard work and a thick skin to handle this life and judging by your face in the -45 windchill you're not tough enough to stay here that long. That's to bad because you might actually learn something.
I'm hoping this letter makes its way to you one day soon.
Sincerely,
Pete Potipcoe
Fort McMurray.

01-14-2017, 07:33 PM	#89
Dion Not a casual user Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: A simple man leading a complicated life.... Exp:	Pete Potipcoe 15 hrs · AN OPEN LETTER TO JANE FONDA Dear Jane, My name is Peter Potipcoe a local radio host here in Fort McMurray and proud member of this community. I'm writing this letter in hopes that perhaps enough people share it and it eventually is so blatantly in your face you can't avoid reading it. I'll be the first to admit I was immediately angry when I heard you were planning a trip to Fort McMurray and a tour of the Oil Sands using representatives from Greenpeace as your tour guides. Greenpeace isn't exactly known for their non-biased views on the region. However, the anger quickly left and was replaced with sadness for the people of my community as well as the many First Nations citizens whom help make up this large region. I knew right away this was to be a fly in fly out stop over in which you observe the mining operation from the sky and hear a few stories that back up the false narrative being spoon fed to you. Those assumptions quickly transformed to fact as I watched your interviews with the CBC and other media outlets. You quickly took whatever was told to you and regurgitated it to the press as a person who now has a clear understanding of the area and what is happening. How can that be Jane? Did you do your due diligence and get facts from both sides of the equation? I see you toured with the Fort McMurray First Nations but did you perhaps talk to the 800 plus Fort McKay First Nations citizens whom are pro Oil Sands and are proud to say so? Did you bring a scientist to help explain in a non-biased way what exactly you were looking at? No you didn't. You flew over a open pit mine at 150mph and made up your mind on exactly what was happening bellow you. Then when interviewed your rhetoric only used feelings not facts to describe what you saw happening. I have to say I'm very proud of my fellow Fort McMurray citizens who confronted you on it and wanted to engage in some form of adult discourse but you quickly scurried off pretending like you had sympathy and a clear understanding on what it is to like to live in the region of Wood Buffalo. The real sadness was felt for me at the fact you have chosen this time to smear campaign our region, our lively hood, and our home when a mere 9 months ago the WHOLE region was evacuated due to wild fire. Did you stop to think about that at all? Many of my fellow citizens are still struggling deeply with it and the city has an ora of PTSD surrounding it, many families couldn't even return and those that have are still healing form the stress that it caused. Now, attach that with an economy that has crashed massive job loss and people not being able to afford to eat (Our Food bank has seen 70% increase) you have a very vulnerable city. I was super upset when one of our own people tried to explain that to you and you took her hand as if to provide sympathy and stated "I saw the effects of the fire and I'm very sympathetic" but then you scurried away again as this women poured her emotions out to you about us. Your timing is about as tactful as a bull in a china shop and your sympathy not only shows surface deep nobody here believed it. Fun fact, did you know those big bad oil companies you were here to smite were the ones that helped save this city. They housed over 30 thousand people as they evacuated for their lives, flew them out of the danger, fed them, paid them and donated millions in equipment to help battle the disaster. If it wasn't for those companies digging deep for us and helping with massive resources this city would be lost. Did you perhaps get that side of the story about the oil sands here in Northern Alberta? No, you saw pictures. You know everything. In closing Jane, to fully understand what happens here on a day to day level you would have to come spend more than half a day and immerse yourself in the whole situation. I really wish a celebrity would approach the idea like that one day but I've yet to see that discussed. It is a place that leads the world in environmental standards, we have some of the best reclamation projects around the globe and we care about safety and the development of ethical oil and energy. It also takes hard work and a thick skin to handle this life and judging by your face in the -45 windchill you're not tough enough to stay here that long. That's to bad because you might actually learn something. I'm hoping this letter makes its way to you one day soon. Sincerely, Pete Potipcoe Fort McMurray. __________________ Last edited by Dion; 01-14-2017 at 07:36 PM.