NORTHERN GATEWAY PIPELINE

Agreed it's not directly a local environmental issue but here it is. Yesterday I received four different e-mails all regarding our Federal cabinet's decision to give the go ahead to the proposed Northern Gateway Pipeline running from the Alberta tarsands through to the British Columbia coast. from there it is loaded onto supertankers for transport across the ocean. The four groups who sent the e-mails were the Sierra Club, Ecojustice, the David Suzuki Foundation and finally the Green party of Canada.

These four well known and respected bodies agree that this project is unsafe, unsustainable and unnecessary. A Joint Review Panel had previously given the go ahead as well, albeit with 209 conditions attached. Currently aboriginal groups are in opposition combined with hundreds of independent scientists as well as the government of British Columbia. There are also five legal challenges from First Nations. Ecojustice has filed a lawsuit with the Federal Court of Appeal stating that the Review Panel's final report was based upon insufficient evidence and does not satisfy the environmental assessment process.

For me once again it is an example of a majority government running roughshod over the other members of parliament, elected by Canadians. Currently the Conservatives are on their own in supporting this project. My personal experience is that most boards appointed by governments are biased and merely looking for ways to say yes. This is especially true for boards dealing with environmental issues.