VANCOUVER – The continued expansion of oil tanker traffic in Burrard Inlet poses unacceptable risks to Vancouver’s Stanley Park, says a new report being released today by the Wilderness Committee.

As communities across the Lower Mainland consider Houston-based Kinder Morgan’s proposed Trans Mountain pipeline expansion—which could bring over 300 oil tankers into Vancouver Harbour each year—citizens are faced with the increasing threat of an oil spill in the waters surrounding the city’s world-renowned urban park.
This 12-page report, entitled Oil Spills and Vancouver’s Stanley Park, contains detailed information about the park’s varied ecosystems and wildlife, demonstrating exactly what would be at stake in the event of an oil spill. It was written for the Wilderness Committee by noted author and Greenpeace International co-founder Rex Weyler, and cites extensive research conducted by the Stanley Park Ecology Society.

Also contributing to the report were: Dana Cook, Mary Kelly, Damien Gillis of the Common Sense Canadian, Robyn Worcester of the Stanley Park Ecology Society, and the Wilderness Committee’s Healthy Communities Campaigner, Ben West.

“An oil spill in the Georgia Strait or Burrard Inlet would be a devastating blow to everyone who loves Stanley Park, and to the numerous wildlife species that call the park home,” said West.

“This report makes it clear what is at stake if we allow Burrard Inlet to be an export route for toxic tar sands oil,” he said.

To mark the report’s release, the Wilderness Committee and Tanker Free BC are hosting a town hall meeting on Thursday, July 12 at the Roundhouse Community Centre, to engage local residents in a discussion about how plans to increase tanker traffic could impact their park and their community.

Speakers at the event include: Ben West, Robyn Worcester, Vancouver Park Board Commissioner Niki Sharma and Sven Biggs, Campaign Director at Tanker Free BC. Rueben George of the Tsleil-Waututh Nation will also be in attendance to share a traditional greeting and opening statements.

“We plan to highlight the local risks through town hall meetings like this one, around the inlet and along the pipeline route,” said Biggs.

"These meetings are the just the beginning. Grassroots community organizing is critical to fighting this Texas billionaire’s pipeline company".

An online version of the full Stanley Park report is now available for download here. Copies of the report will also be distributed at the town hall meeting on July 12, and at other community events throughout the summer.

For more information on the town hall and other upcoming events, click here.