Anglican Church of Canada
The newly re-created Eco/Social Justice group of the North Vancouver Regional Council (all 5 Anglican churches and Gloria Dei Evangelical Lutheran) recently embarked on the issue of Pipelines and Tankers.
Working together, the group put on a Public Discussion Wednesday, July 11th at St. Agnes Church on Pipelines and Tankers and their Impact on BC’s pristine wilderness and coast. The speakers were Ben West, Communications Coordinator & Healthy Communities Campaigner with the Wilderness Committee (formerly known as the Western Wilderness Committee), Rafe Mair, former politician, talk show host and activist, and Reuben George, from the Tsleil Waututh First Nation. The Rev. Laurel Dykstra, the Deanery’s new part-time curate, did an outstanding job, facilitating what turned out to be a fairly contentious meeting. The North Vancouver session was designed to build on the BC and Yukon Bishops’ statement of Good Friday, April 6th, 2012, about the need for fairness in the review process for the Northern Gateway project, and on the motion passed by the May 2012 Synod of our Diocese opposing the Northern Gateway project.
Over 80 people attended this Public Discussion on a hot and lovely July evening including John Weston, MP for West Vancouver–Sunshine Coast–Sea to Sky Country and Jane Thornthwaite, MLA Lonsdale-Seymour. All the MPs, MLAs and municipal council members were invited to attend. Presentations focused on the significant risks and problems with the projects, and they were followed by spirited question and answer sessions with views on both sides being expressed. Reuben George spoke eloquently about the need to preserve the environment and the land on which so many first nations groups depend – and to do so by rejecting substantial offers of money from those intent on pipeline development. Rafe Mair’s comments focused on the viability of fisheries, their susceptibility to pollution and the long term effects of damage done by oil spills on fish habitat and ecosystems.
After the break, Ben West illustrated his remarks about the impact and extent of oil spills, tanker groundings and pipeline failures, and the significant difference between shipping crude oil and the diluted bitumen (dil-bit) that is proposed for the Northern Gateway project from Alberta to Kitimat. His presentation concluded with suggestions about potential changes to transportation systems, such as the reintroduction of the interurban light rail system from Vancouver to the Fraser Valley to reduce car traffic and our dependence on oil.
In the question period issues were raised about government actions, and a few attendees questioned the validity of the
statements being made. Suggestions were also made about the need to rethink
the shipping of bitumen and building more refining capacity in Alberta for Canada’s own needs.
As the session wrapped up, discussions focused on what individuals can do, and what kind of follow up sessions are being planned including:
• Showing of the film “On the Line” by Frank Wolf – his 2010 journey by bike, on foot, raft and kayak from the Alberta Tar Sands along the route of the proposed pipeline to the tanker terminal at Kitimat.
• A session with Economist Robyn Allan who has written commentary about the failure of the governments to act in the best interests of the province and the country.
