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HAIDA GWAII: Haida Gwaii CoASt is disappointed that the JRP approved Enbridge’s pipeline that would bring oil supertankers to Northern BC. Island communities came together to participate in the hearings and almost 200 spoke directly to the panel. Every single speaker stated his or her vehement opposition to Enbridge’s proposal for countless different reasons.
Haida Gwaii relies heavily on wild foods from the ocean and land. An oil spill puts all of that at risk and Island communities are not prepared to accept that risk. Haida Gwaii communities – both Haida and non-Haida – hold strong stewardship values. With a tradition of working together, we are committed to protecting our home from unsustainable, large-scale development projects. This was very clear at the JRP hearings – the Islands are strong and united against the Northern Gateway. Enbridge does not have social license for this project.
“The Panel’s recommendation doesn’t reflect our values. This whole project is absurd from start to finish – it’s totally destructive. We will not allow oil supertankers through our waters and we’re not backing down”, declared Gwaai Edenshaw.
“’The Haida Nation is the rightful heir to Haida Gwaii. Our culture is born of respect; and intimacy with the land and sea and the air around us. Like the forests, the roots of our people are intertwined such that the greatest troubles cannot overcome us. We owe our existence to Haida Gwaii.’ That’s from the preamble of our Constitution and that says it all,” explained April Churchill, former Vice-President of the Haida nation. “We have love and respect for Haida Gwaii, the Earth, and all of its beings. We will persevere in unity.”
Contacts
Haida Gwaii CoASt Spokesperson, April Churchill:
250.559.2332 | [email protected]
Haida Gwaii CoASt Spokesperson, Gwaai Edenshaw:
778.828.9165 | [email protected]
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]]>Have you heard the radio call from the Exxon Valdez? The audio of the tanker captain’s call for help over the radio is the opening soundtrack for a 2 minute awareness ad for the campaign against the Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipeline, and the expansion of tanker traffic on the coast of BC. The ad gives us statistics on the potential impact of a spill like the Exxon Valdez in Canada, for example, costing 4,379 jobs, and $21.4 Billion dollars to clean up (biologists monitoring the ecosystems in Alaska point out that the Valdez spill was never fully cleaned up and that oil can still be found by digging a few feet into the sand of some beaches. See Lingering Oil). Set to the Sounds of Silence by Paul Simon, the video is a reminder to us of what is at stake in pursuing a resource-based industry in Canada.
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]]>“The Haida Nation grilled Enbridge executives and pipeline experts with questions about the price of oil, how much money the federal government stands to make and which First Nations are in favour of the pipeline during final hearings for the Northern Gateway project last week in Edmonton. Council of the Haida Nation president Guujaaw and lawyer Terri Lynn Williams Davidson spoke on behalf of the Haida Nation at the Sept. 20 session.
Guujaaw began his questions by asking about prices for crude oil, and how they would be affected by the proposed pipeline, which would carry tar sands oil to Kitimat for transport to markets in the Far East.
Responding, Enbridge’s Neil Earnest said that the price for crude oil in Western Canada would definitely be higher if there was more transportation infrastructure. However, in response to more questions to Guujaaw, he said there is not a clear link between that higher price and the price that consumers in Western Canada would pay for gas at the pump.”
Read the rest of this article at http://www.qciobserver.com/Article.aspx?Id=5631
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Want to know more about what happened in Alaska when the Exxon Valdez Spilled a supertanker of oil? How about what’s going on now? Come and see Riki Ott speak in Masset and Charlotte about her own experiences with clean-up and as an “incidental activist.” This event is supported by CoASt and the TBuck Suzuki Foundation.
Queen Charlotte
Wednesday, Aug. 15, 2012 7:00 pm
Queen B’s Cafe, 3208 Wharf Street
Masset
Thursday, August 16, 2012 7:00 pm
The Haven, Harrison Ave (above Green Gaia)
Download the poster HG Think Tankers.
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Need some straight facts to back up your opposition to Enbridge and Kinder Morgan’s pipeline proposals? Vancouver Observer journalist Carrie Saxifrage will be editing an eBook that will offer just that. Providing an alternative to Enbridge and KMP’s highly funded PR campaigns, the eBook will explore the long-term effects of oil spills like the Exxon Valdez and their possible impacts up and down the coast as well as revealing the many half-truths and snow jobs the two companies are selling to the public.
The new eBook, featuring a foreword by former Greenpeace International campaign director Tzeporah Berman, will be put together through an online campaign you can donate to at indigogo.com. To learn about the project, get involved, or donate, go to:
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THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
As reported on Northwest Coast Energy News, the Haisla Nation has filed a legal document outlining their opposition to Enbridge’s Northern Gateway Pipeline. The central issue for the Haisla Nation is their sovereignty over their territory and their right to be properly consulted. It is a key question that both the Harper government and Enbridge have preferred to ignore in the hopes that constitutional issues will not beleaguer the pipeline’s progress. In addition, Enbridge’s original filing of questions to the Haisla and other nations reveal their attempt to discredit opponents of the pipeline.
With the completion of the Joint Review Panel process, now estimated for December 2013, these important questions of territorial rights and sovereignty will come into greater focus as the campaign to stop the pipeline enters the courts.
For Northwest Coast Energy News’ coverage of the Haisla announcement in three related articles, please see:
Haisla Nation confirms it opposes Northern Gateway, demands Ottawa veto Enbridge pipeline; First Nation also outlines “minimum conditions” if Ottawa approves the project
The Empire Strikes Back I: Enbridge takes on First Nations, small intervenors
The Enbridge Empire Strikes Back II: The Haisla “fishing expedition”
Haisla outline where they believe Enbridge Gateway plans are inadequate
Haisla outline conditions, concerns for Northern Gateway project
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It’s not a question of if it will happen, but when it will happen – yet another spill, this time of over 40,000 barrels, has just happened off the coast of Nigeria. Satellite monitoring service Skytruth reports that their imagery “reveals a slick covering 923 square kilometers (356 square miles).” Read about the new spill here.
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