News Release - September 20, 2013

WINNIPEG - The Wilderness Committee congratulates the Manitoba government today for their position against oil shipments by rail through the port in Churchill, Manitoba.

“This is great news for all Manitobans who love our natural environment. After weeks of urging the government to act on this proposal, this is exactly the response we were hoping for,” said Eric Reder, Manitoba Campaign Director.

The Wilderness Committee first became aware of a scheme to ship oil by rail to Churchill in August when Omnitrax Inc. announced its plans to ship crude oil via its Hudson Bay Railway line. The oil would then be loaded onto tanker ships at the Port of Churchill, which Omnitrax also owns and operates.

The Wilderness Committee spoke out against the plan, and soon after, a growing list of groups and individuals joined that opposition, including the Keewatin Tribal Council, representing eleven member First Nations in Northern Manitoba.

Concerns over oil spills, both on the rails and from tankers, fueled this opposition. Many believe an oil spill would be devastating to the particularly fragile northern ecology, including iconic Canadian species such as beluga whales and polar bears.

Under the Canadian Constitution, responsibility for rail across the nation lies with the federal government in Ottawa.

“The provincial government is echoing the sentiments of Manitobans and saying 'No' to this crazy plan, but we can not relax our opposition efforts. We need to be demanding an end to this oil shipment plan until we hear from the federal Transport Minister Lisa Raitt that oil by rail to Churchill is dead and done,” said Reder.

The Wilderness Committee remains committed to publicizing and opposing the Omnitrax proposal until such time as the federal government rejects it and/or Omnitrax withdraws its proposal.

–30–

For more information contact:

Eric Reder, Manitoba Campaign Director, Wilderness Committee
204-997–8584, eric@wildernesscommittee.org