Editor, The Times:
My daughter's partner is a chartered accountant. In his profession he has access to some information the rest of us don't.
He was telling me there is a great demand in China and India for road tar – asphalt for their vast road building projects.
So, is the title 'road tar' that has been placed on the Athabaska tar sand product closer to the mark than originally thought?
In some ways such pipelines as Trans Mountain, even Northern Gateway, do make sense?
After all, if the purpose is to export road building material, well yes these pipelines would serve a purpose.
However, this all opens a complete Pandora's box of fresh questions.
If the price of bitumen is less than half of the cost of production, how does any of this work out for those pipelines heading west?
Truth, especially when it comes to big oil, is very hard to find these days.
Dennis Peacock
Clearwater, B.C.