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Victoria Ecotourism Outfitter and Environmental Advocates Invite Trudeaus to Bear Witness to Orcas’ Wake

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

August 3, 2018

Victoria / Tofino – Justin Trudeau and his family have vacationed on Vancouver Island in Tofino for the past three summers since he became the Prime Minister of Canada. Days after the Trudeau family’s current vacation started, on July 24th marine biologists observed a member of the endangered Salish Sea orcas, known as J35 or Tahlequah, swimming around carrying her dead newborn calf on her back. Nine days later and the pod of endangered orcas started taking turns floating the body of the calf who died more than week ago. Friday, August 3 marks the orcas the 11th day of mourning.

“Tahlequah is one of just 75 endangered southern resident whales and this calf was the first to be born in three years into the Salish Sea orca population, which is the same amount of time the Trudeaus have vacationed here,” said Jeh Custerra, Friends of Clayoquot Sound campaigner. “With Trudeau on the West Coast enjoying the environment that people have fought hard to protect he needs to understand that as Prime Minister of Canada his decisions, including buying the Trans Mountain pipeline, will exasperate serious issues here.”

In an effort to hold Trudeau accountable as a decision maker, Friends of Clayoquot Sound reached out to the South Island ecotourism operator, Ocean Ecoventures, to invite the Trudeaus on a reality tour to bear witness to the orcas’ mournful wake.

“We have been following the story of J-35’s grief with broken hearts. It is an overwhelming tragedy on our coast that should be a watershed moment where the plight of the orcas solidifies in the public consciousness as at a crisis point,” said Simon Pidcock, Head Captain of Ocean Ecoventures. “For the entirety of the currently ongoing grieving ritual, we have been discussing what we can do as a crew as we continue to learn updates about Talequah’s mourning. The idea of inviting Trudeau to observe comes as a welcome request to transform his understanding as a decision maker.”

The Salish Sea orcas are suffering from a lack of nutrition due to an absence of their dietary staple, Chinook salmon, which are serious decline due to climate change and environmental stress.

“The Trans Mountain expansion would increase oil tanker traffic in the Salish Sea by 700% and undermine Canada’s global climate change commitments,” said Eva Garofalo, Dogwood BC’s South Island Organizer. “Stopping this oil tanker expansion is critical for orcas, salmon, and the livelihoods of people on the West Coast. We can’t escape our interconnectedness.”

“The Salish Sea orcas are fighting for their lives every day. They don’t get to take vacations,” said Mark Worthing, Climate & Conservation Campaigner at Sierra Club BC. “No decision maker can have a fully informed perspective about the consequences of their actions until they witness the hardship of those most impacted. The Trans Mountain pipeline buyout completely undermines the new oceans protections plan and any efforts of the DFO to aid these endangered whales.

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Media Contacts:

Eva Garofalo, Dogwood BC, South Island Organizer: 250-370-9930 ext. 31

Simon Pidcock, Ocean Ecoventures, Head Captain: 250-748-3800

Mark Worthing, Sierra Club BC, Climate & Conservation Campaigner: 250-889-3575

Jeh Custerra, Friends of Clayoquot Sound, Campaigner: 250-725-4218

Sierra Club BC statement on federal buyout of Trans Mountain pipeline

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

July 23, 2018

Sierra Club BC released the following statement from conservation and climate campaigner Mark Worthing as federal deadline passed without a buyer for the Trans Mountain pipeline:

“While Prime Minister Trudeau vacations on our beautiful coastline, he is putting that same coastline at risk by buying out the Trans Mountain pipeline and oil tankers project.

“The federal government said they would find investors for this failing project. But Kinder Morgan couldn’t find investors, that’s why they wanted out. Investors seem to understand what the federal government doesn’t: the economics don’t make sense for this project.

“While Kinder Morgan cashes in, public funds that should be used to transition our energy economy are being blown through reckless political jockeying and short sighted economics.

“It doesn’t matter who owns this pipeline, the risks are still the same. And the roadblocks it faces are still the same too. First Nations, municipalities and non-governmental organizations are in court fighting to defend this coast and the courts will decide soon.

“British Columbians will remember this betrayal on October 21, 2019. Buying a tar sands pipeline in the middle of a climate crisis is unforgivable.

“Wasting public resources on a pipeline that faces such stark opposition from Indigenous peoples is profoundly unethical and completely undermines the principle of Free, Prior and Informed Consent.

“The answer has always been no. From the boreal forests of Athabasca Chipewyan territory, to the many rivers this pipeline illegally crosses in Secwepemc territory, to the Tsleil-Waututh waters of Slilwat where Trudeau threatens us with more oil tankers, the answer is still no. The people of British Columbia stand alongside Indigenous land and water protectors.

“I wish I could say this isn’t my prime minister. I wish I could say this isn’t my pipeline. But as a non-Indigenous person living in Canada, this is a dark reminder that we need to take responsibility for the colonial injustices that our governments continue to commit in our name.

“This government promised to end fossil fuel subsidies and champion the clean economy. Yet they are spending billions of dollars of taxpayer money to buy out a tar sands pipeline that would decimate our most progressive climate targets and threaten British Columbia’s coast.”

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Media contact:

Mark Worthing
Conservation and Climate Campaigner
Sierra Club BC
250-889-3575
mark@sierraclub.bc.ca

Irresponsible Ottawa bailout changes nothing; this pipeline will never be built

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

May 29, 2018

Sierra Club BC released the following statement from campaigns director Caitlyn Vernon in response to today’s federal government announcement about the Kinder Morgan pipeline and tankers project:

“Against all logic, knowing the multitude of risks to investors and to the B.C. coast and economy, Prime Minister Trudeau has chosen to double down on this dangerous pipeline and the oil tankers that come with it.

“It’s outrageous that Trudeau is using public funds to bail out a multinational corporation when we could create more jobs by investing in building a clean energy economy instead.

“Investors have been shunning Kinder Morgan’s pipedream and Kinder Morgan has successfully blackmailed the federal government into providing an exit strategy.

“Kinder Morgan is laughing their way to the bank, and Canadian taxpayers have just been saddled with an expensive and outdated project that won’t get built. For Ottawa to pour billions into an asset that no one else wants to own is a monumental folly that flies in the face of all the evidence.

“The message from Ottawa is that a tarsands pipeline and tankers are more important than endangered orca whales, the hundred thousand jobs that depend on a healthy coast and our climate commitments.

“Despite the political posturing, the future of this pipeline and tankers project is not solely up to the federal government. The rights of First Nations have been recognized by the Canadian courts, the Canadian constitution and the United Nations. Multiple Indigenous legal challenges are still outstanding and can stop this project.

“Now the real fight begins, and the Trudeau government is about to find out what BC made of. The Prime Minister has underestimated the degree to which British Columbians love this coast and will do what it takes to protect it.

“By going into business as a pipeline owner, aiding and abetting the expansion of the tarsands, Trudeau is leaving a legacy of severe climate change impacts to our children and grandchildren, not to mention the inevitable oil spills that will wreak havoc on B.C. coast and economy.

“It’s the height of irresponsibility. This is our home. We won’t allow this pipeline to be built.”

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Contact:
Caitlyn Vernon
Campaigns Director
Sierra Club BC
C: (250)896-3500

caitlyn@sierraclub.bc.ca

Squamish ruling lets B.C. government off hook, but Kinder Morgan fight far from over

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

May 24, 2018

Sierra Club BC released the following statement from conservation and climate campaigner Mark Worthing in response to today’s Squamish Nation court ruling:

 

“Today’s decision is disappointing. The courts have let the province off the hook when it comes to respect for Indigenous rights.

“Kinder Morgan’s pipeline and oil tanker project still faces significant risks, including vibrant ground resistance and numerous legal challenges in the Federal Court of Appeal from Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Sníchim (Squamish Nation), other First Nations, local governments, and environmental advocacy groups.

“The National Energy Board review of Kinder Morgan’s pipeline and tanker project was widely criticized for failures in process, limiting of participation, lack of accountability, inadequate consultation with First Nations, and failure to evaluate the project with regard to Canada’s domestic and international commitments to climate action. The previous B.C. government used this discredited process as the basis for their approval.

“It is extremely unfortunate that the current provincial government chose to defend the previous government’s approach to Indigenous consultation in this case.

“The current B.C. and Canadian governments have committed to implementing the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. This court ruling represents the bottom of the barrel in terms of an effort to engage in a meaningful way with Indigenous rights.

“The Squamish Nation has 30 days to decide whether to appeal today’s decision. Sierra Club BC stands firmly behind the Nation’s continued fight for their rights and their home.”

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Contact:

Tim Pearson
Communications Director
Sierra Club BC
(250) 896-1556
tim@sierraclub.bc.ca

Ottawa’s Kinder Morgan bailout plans cynical, ignore Indigenous opposition

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

May 16, 2018

 

Sierra Club BC released the following statement from conservation and climate campaigner Mark Worthing in response to the federal government’s announcement that it will indemnify Kinder Morgan against risks involved in building the Trans Mountain Pipeline:

“The federal government is trying to create the illusion that the BC government is the sole cause of investor uncertainty, which is completely false.

“In doing so, the reality of Indigenous rights and title have been erased from discussion. This is cynical politics of the highest order and appears to be setting up BC taxpayers to bear the financial brunt of any potential NAFTA complaint that may be brought by Kinder Morgan.

“Reconciliation with Indigenous peoples, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission have been cast aside.

“A promise to reduce fossil fuel subsidies has been turned on its head, with what amounts to a massive subsidy to Kinder Morgan.

“The Canadian government’s announcement to indemnify a risky fossil fuel project is akin to playing poker with the public pocket book. This move is a slap in the face to Canadians and marks a new low in the dark marriage between corporations and the state.

“Trudeau may think writing a blank cheque to Kinder Morgan will eliminate the political risk for investors, but many other risks remain, foremost among them Indigenous opposition.

“People-powered, Indigenous-led resistance in the courts, in the streets and on the land will continue to grow stronger the more Ottawa tries to ram this pipeline and tanker project through.”

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Contact:

Mark Worthing
Conservation and Climate Campaigner
Sierra Club BC
(250) 889-3575
mark@sierraclub.bc.ca

Citizen-funded radio ads to counter pro-Kinder Morgan propaganda campaign

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

May 16, 2018

VANCOUVER—Leadnow, Sierra Club BC, SumOfUs.org and the Wilderness Committee will begin running radio ads Friday urging British Columbians to call their MPs to express their opposition to using public funds to bail out the Kinder Morgan pipeline and tanker project.

“The Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers and the Alberta and federal governments have mobilized a massive, coordinated propaganda campaign to promote Kinder Morgan’s pipeline and tankers project,” said Mark Worthing, conservation and climate campaigner with Sierra Club BC. “Finance minister Bill Morneau confirmed today that the federal government is full steam ahead on a Kinder Morgan bailout, but no matter how much public money they throw at Kinder Morgan, B.C.’s opposition to this pipeline remains firm and will not bend.”

Alberta recently launched a $1.2 million ad campaign, $700,000 of which will be spent in B.C. alone. The federal government is actively negotiating a bailout package that could cost taxpayers as much as $10 billion. No one knows how much CAPP is spending, but they are known as one of the most well-financed, powerful lobbying organizations in the country.

The ads are funded with individual donations from concerned Canadian residents. The ads will run from May 18 to 28 on Virgin Radio 94.5 FM.

“Prime Minister Trudeau wants to use billions of taxpayer dollars to bail out a foreign oil corporation’s ill-conceived pipeline project,” said Peter McCartney, climate campaigner with Wilderness Committee. “Not only are British Columbians asked to take on the risk of a spill, but now he actually expects Canadians to cover Kinder Morgan’s losses when this proposal goes belly-up?”

“Trudeau needs to get his priorities straight. Taxpayer dollars should pay for schools and hospitals, not handouts to big oil. Indigenous rights should come before corporate profits,” said Jolan Bailey, a climate campaigner with Leadnow.

“Liberal MPs in B.C. are already worrying about how many votes they’ll lose if Trudeau follows through on his reckless bailout plan. With Kinder Morgan’s hardball ultimatum to the federal government fast-approaching, MPs need to hear loud and clear from British Columbians that they do not support any bailout of Kinder Morgan, or any other company,” said Emma Pullman, campaign manager at SumOfUs.org.

On April 8, Kinder Morgan delivered an ultimatum to the federal government, setting a deadline of May 31 to gain certainty that the project can be built. Since then, the federal and Alberta governments have scrambled to deliver the certainty Kinder Morgan has demanded.

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Radio script available upon request.

Media contacts:

Mark Worthing, Sierra Club BC   (250) 889-3575   mark@sierraclub.bc.ca

Jolan Bailey, Leadnow  (604) 441-6916   jolan@leadnow.ca

Peter McCartney, Wilderness Committee  (778) 239-1935   peter@wildernesscommittee.org

Emma Pullman, SumOfUs.org (778) 887-6776   emma@sumofus.org

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