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Posted November 24, 2004
Defend BC Against the Slick, Oily Backlash
YOUR help is greatly needed RIGHT NOW
Over the past several days, there has been a very aggressive and
well-funded reaction, spread far and wide through the media, by slick
proponents of oil drilling along BC's coasts to discredit the results of
the federal public input process (the Priddle report) about the
moratorium on offshore oil and gas development in BC. The report,
released on Friday, noted that 75% of the people wanted the federal
moratorium to remain, while only 23% of the people wanted it lifted.
3540 people spoke up at public hearings in communities along the BC
coast last spring or wrote-in to the Priddle panel. In addition, the
results of a First Nations engagement process by the federal government
found that 100% of the 70 coastal bands that responded to be unanimously
opposed to lifting the moratorium.
The provincial BC Liberal government, several mayors and
councilors from some municipalities in BC (like 100 Mile House, Port
Hardy, Port McNeill), various Chambers of Commerce, and pro-drilling
lobby groups have launched a major campaign to undermine and discredit
the results of the public input process - they simply can't stand to see
a 3 to 1 majority of the citizens against oil drilling along Canada's
Pacific Coast.
Some of the illogical, misleading, and false statements they're
gushing include:
Myth: Mayors represent thousands of people, and their submissions should
therefore not be counted as only "one" in the tally of public opinion.
Fact: Just because Gordon Campbell is the Premier of BC doesn't mean
that 4 million British Columbians stand unanimously behind him on every
stance he takes on every issue, nor do 30 million Canadians stand behind
Prime Minister Paul Martin on every stance he takes on every issue!
What's the point in public input then? If the mayors of Port Hardy or
Port McNeill perfectly represent the orientation and depth of opinions
of everyone in their jurisdictions, why did so many fishermen,
conservationists and First Nations from those towns speak up and
write-in against lifting the moratorium? And if they are so influential
among the people of their community, where were those thousands of
pro-drilling people when called upon to speak-up or write-in to the
public input process? Democracy works for those who get involved.
In addition, if these pro-drilling proponents want their opinions to
weigh more than everyone else's through a "multiplier effect" of who
they purport to represent, then they'd also have to weigh-in the 100 000
members of Greenpeace in Canada, the 60 000 members and supporters of
the WCWC, and thousands of other members of First Nations bands, other
conservation groups and union members...
Myth: Rural citizens were left out of the process.
Fact: Again, this is pure bunk. Everyone had a chance to write-in to the
panel, plus the panel toured throughout coastal communities to solicit
their oral and written input. What this piece of propaganda means is
that because the coastal mayors' opinions weren't weighted to represent
thousands of people who didn't care enough to speak up, therefore all
those people have been "excluded"...
Myth: The Public Input Report doesn't include new scientific or
technical insights, and therefore says nothing "new".
Fact: This was a PUBLIC INPUT process, not a science or technical review
- the Science Panel Review was already completed and released last
spring! And the slick pro-drilling advocates know that. What's "new"
about the Public Input report is what the public thinks...
These are just a few of the things we've heard, and will continue to
hear, from the PR wing of the pro-drilling lobby, including the BC
Liberal government that is using hundreds of thousands of taxpayers'
dollars to finance their lobby efforts of the federal government.
Don't let these oil slicksters succeed in their push to overturn the
recent progress! They are at a disadvantage right now, which is why
they're increasingly vehement in their attacks. They're also trying to
do public relations damage control over largest oil spill in
Newfoundland's history (170 000 litres or more) right now, a result of
the Terra Nova oil and gas project that until now they touted as an
example of an environmentally-friendly development that "works" and that
could happen off BC's coasts...
The Priddle panel lays out 4 possible options for the government to
take, including:
- maintain the moratorium, with the possibility of a legislated ban
- maintain the moratorium and fill the knowledge gaps
- lift the moratorium, issue no exploration permits, fill the knowledge
gaps
- lift the moratorium
The WCWC favours the first option, a legislated ban, because part and
parcel of coastal oil and gas development are daily chronic pollution,
seismic testing, and greenhouse gas emissions that no technology or
filling-in of science gaps can fix.
It is vitally important now that you write and call the federal
government ASAP in this pivotal time, to ensure they are not pushed by
the powerful forces of reaction into lifting the moratorium. See the
action alert below...
- Ken Wu and Pearl Gottschalk, WCWC Victoria
----------------------
Take Action to Enact a Permanent Legislated Ban on Oil and Gas
Development off our Pacific Coast
How YOU Can Take Action!!
As A Concerned Individual You Can:
- Sign our online petition and download copies to circulate at: www.bcoilslick.org
- Write a letter or email (a hardcopy letter is most effective) on
whether or not the government must adhere to the results of their own
public input process and enact a legislated ban on offshore oil and gas
development in BC, to:
Prime Minister Paul Martin
House of Commons
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0A6
Fax: 613-941-6900
email: pm@pm.gc.ca
Also, as importantly, write and telephone:
Minister of Natural Resources John Efford
(telephone (613)992-4133, fax
(613)992-7277, email: Efford.J@parl.gc.ca)
Minister of Environment Stephane Dion
(telephone(613)996-5789, fax
(613)996-6562, email: Dion.S@parl.gc.ca)
Minister of Industry David Emerson
(telephone(613)995-9001,
fax(613)943-0219, email: Emerson.D@parl.gc.ca)
Same mailing addresses as Paul Martin.
(no postage needed if mailed in Canada)
As, write to your local federal Member of Parliament (MP) who you can
find at: http://www.gc.ca/directories/direct_e.html
or call your local MP toll-free at: 1-866-599-4999
- Speak up to your municipal councilors, mayors, and chambers of
commerce about your opinion, especially if they want the moratorium
lifted.
As an Organization You Can
- Write the government on behalf of your organization. See the contact
info above.
- Get your members and supporters to also write letters, and to sign
and circulate the petition available at www.bcoilslick.org
Mail and email your members this action alert/info sheet, and get it on
to your website.
- Speak up to your municipal councilors, mayors, and chambers of
commerce about your opinion, especially if they want the moratorium
lifted.
- Organize public forums, slideshows, and garner media interest in your
area. Contact us (below) for advice.
- Please help us circulate the petition in your communities and through
other local groups.
--------------
Some reasons for a legislated ban on offshore oil and gas development in
BC:
- 75% of Canadians and 100% of First Nations support maintaining the
moratorium, according to the official input solicited by the federal
government
- A major oil spill or blow-out in this earthquake prone region would
have serious environmental and economic consequences for years to come.
The Queen Charlotte Islands region is also home to the fiercest winds in
Canada, recorded at almost 200 km/h and the massive waves which result
could prevent adequate cleanup as well as demolish rigs and tankers. The
Pacific Coast is also overdue for a major earthquake and is Canada's
most earthquake prone region.
- Seismic testing (loud sonic booms to locate oil deposits) could deafen
whales and alter their migration routes, drive fish from vast areas, and
kill fish and invertebrates
- Oil and gas development would increase our greenhouse gas emissions
and would run counter to Canada's Kyoto Protocol commitment.
- Major oil spills aside, inherent in coastal oil and gas production is
daily chronic pollution, including the discharge of toxic drilling
fluids and muds, chronic oil leakages, and small oil spills that are
unavoidable. Toxic drilling fluids and muds include mercury and heavy
metals like chromium and lead that contaminate fish and invertebrates.
- Few jobs would be created for coastal communities as NAFTA forbids any
laws that ensure that local people are hired before foreign workers. Oil
rigs would be constructed and brought in from around the world in places
where labour is cheapest and the facilities already exist.
For further information please contact:
Pearl Gottschalk, Campaign Assistant
Phone:(250) 388-9292
Email: pearl@wildernesscommitteevictoria.org
Western Canada Wilderness Committee - Victoria chapter
651 Johnson Street
Victoria, BC V8V 1M7
For more info visit:
www.bcoilslick.org
www.oilfreecoast.org
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