Green petition seeks support for Kinder Morgan pipeline plebiscite in Vancouver

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      District of Kitimat voters rejected Enbridge's Northern Gateway pipeline project in a plebiscite back in April. Green councillor Adriane Carr, who is running for reelection, wants the City of Vancouver to hold a similar vote on Kinder Morgan's Trans Mountain expansion project.

      In May, Carr put forward a motion calling for a citywide plebiscite to coincide with the November civic election. As Carr recalls in an email to supporters, "Unfortunately for democracy, my fellow councillors rejected my motion, fearing that the citizens of Vancouver would be more easily duped by pro-pipeline propaganda than the people of Kitimat. Instead, Vision replaced my motion with one calling on the Harper government (!) to hold referendums in affected communities after the NEB hearings are complete. Does anyone actually think there’s any likelihood Stephen Harper will do this?"

      Well, Carr is not giving up on the plebiscite idea. In the email, sent out today (July 8), she urges people to sign the Green Party of Vancouver's online petition to "Let Vancouver Vote!"

      "We have a perfect opportunity to express our democratic will during the civic election this November," Carr writes. "There is no better time than now to send a powerful message to Kinder Morgan and to the federal and provincial governments that Vancouverites refuse to live under daily threat of a catastrophic oil spill."

      At time of writing, the petition had garnered 146 signatures.

      Comments

      4 Comments

      Rolf Budden

      Jul 9, 2014 at 2:17pm

      Whats the point? It's not like the pipeline runs through the City of Vancouver at any point. There is already enough opposition from the City of Burnaby where the terminal is located for this expansion not to be approved.

      Reinier Kanis

      Jul 10, 2014 at 3:22pm

      The grater danger is not of holding a plebiscite, but rather using the plebiscite for political expediency. If these is going to be one, it should be done by all British Columbia, just as the proposed vote on the Northern Gateway.

      If the Green party really cared about our environment, then they would not have allowed Christy Clark to return to office, she would have asked all Green supporters to set aside party building and vote NDP.

      Now that would have given her real credibility.

      Rob Black

      Jul 11, 2014 at 1:35pm

      Wouldn't it be more effective to work with existing groups / petitions in partnership? Rather than going out and further dividing people? Have we as Canadians not learned that division isn't a strategy to win yet?? This shows poor leadership on behalf of the green party in my opinion.

      John Ed

      Sep 9, 2014 at 9:20am

      This ok will get moved by train or pipe , it has it has increased train traffic dramatically I hate to say it but the pipe is the best alternative until we find the alternative