(December 13) Today, the Western Canada Wilderness Committee and supporters held a Christmas “Gift-Giving Ceremony” at the federal Minister of Industry David Emerson’s office in Vancouver. 10000 signatures on a petition calling on the federal government to ban coastal oil and gas development in BC were placed into a giant gift-wrapped box and handed to the Minister's assistant. There was also be a giant stocking stuffed with the WCWC’s “Christmas Wish”, an “Oil Free BC Coast”.
Speakers included:
- Ken Wu, Campaign Director, Western Canada Wilderness Committee
- Jen Mackay, Campaign Intern, Western Canada Wilderness Committee
- David Lane, United Fishers and Allied Workers Union
- Adriane Carr, Leader, BC Green Party
- Ian Waddel, federal NDP candidate, former BC Minister of Environment
A year ago in November of 2004, the federal government released the results of the federal public input process (the Priddle Process, chaired by Roland Priddle), where 75% of 3700 respondents (written and oral submissions) opposed lifting the moratorium, while 100% of coastal BC First Nations who responded to a parallel First Nations process also opposed lifting the moratorium.
“We’ve given the federal government 1 year to consider the results of the public and First Nations input processes where there was overwhelming opposition to lifting the moratorium – yet the federal Liberals still continue to sit on the fence,” states Ken Wu, Campaign Director of the Western Canada Wilderness Committee in Victoria. “We believe they should be obligated to adhere to the results of their own public input process and publicly commit to maintaining the moratorium - before this election.”
“In addition, in light of Prime Minister Paul Martin’s recent statements at the Montreal climate change convention on the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, it would be a huge contradiction to even consider lifting the moratorium. A single offshore rig emits the same amount of daily pollution as 7000 cars driving 80 kilometers.”
Concerns about coastal oil and gas development off BC’s Pacific coast
include:
- Daily chronic pollution, including toxic drilling fluids and drill cuttings, toxic waste waters, oil leakages, and small spills that contaminate the marine life.
- Catastrophic oil spills in Canada’s most earthquake-prone region, which would hit the sensitive coastlines of the Queen Charlotte Islands and the mainland coast. In Newfoundland, the Hibernia project is 300 km offshore, whereas in BC the rigs would be as close as 20 km to shore.
Currents in Newfoundland take oil spills away from shore, currents in BC would take the spills onto the sensitive shores.
- Seismic testing, where underwater sonic blasts are used to locate potential oil deposits, kills marine life and drives fish and whales long distances away from their feeding and migration areas.
- Substantial greenhouse gas emissions, which contravenes Canada’s commitment to Kyoto. Offshore oil and gas rigs are major greenhouse gas emitters.
- Jobs would go in large part to foreigners. Oil companies are not looking for unemployed loggers and fishermen in coastal BC as their main labour source, but rather already trained and experienced workers with the specialized skills, generally to be hired from abroad.
For more info contact:
Ken Wu, WCWC Victoria Campaign Director
(250) 388-9292
Visit www.bcoilslick.org and www.oilfreecoast.org for more info.
