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ForestEthics responds to new poll on Northern Gateway oil pipeline
Nikki Skuce predicts that public opposition to Enbridge’s Northern Gateway oil pipeline will grow, even though a new poll suggests many British Columbians support the proposed $5.5-billion project.
An Ipsos Reid survey released today (January 5) shows that 48 percent of British Columbians support the project while 32 percent are opposed. Twenty percent are undecided. The poll, conducted for Enbridge, also shows that around 55 percent of British Columbians are not familiar with the project.
Skuce, a spokesperson for the West Coast environmental group ForestEthics, said increased public awareness is needed about the risks posed by the project, which would see a pipeline link constructed between northern Alberta and Kitimat, B.C.
“This is a tarsands pipeline shipping raw bitumen to China and what that means is introducing for the first time ever oil super tankers to British Columbia’s northern coastal waters,” Skuce told the Straight by phone today.
“I think people need to realize these are oil tankers bigger than the Exxon Valdez that sank and the consequences could be catastrophic,” she said.
“As people become more aware of it, the opposition to Enbridge’s Northern Gateway pipeline will just increase and the polling results will reflect that.”
Meanwhile, Enbridge welcomed the Ipsos Reid poll results.
“It shows solid support for the Gateway project and the opposition is quite a lot less than has been suggested by environmental activists in the past,” said Todd Nogier, a spokesperson for the Calgary-based energy company.
“We think this puts into context the level of public support for the project,” he told the Straight by phone today.
The Ipsos Reid poll comes less than a week before the launch of community hearings as part of a federal environmental review of the project. The Joint Review Panel hearings start in Kitamaat Village on January 10.
Skuce said the upcoming hearings will give many British Columbians the opportunity to voice their opinions about the pipeline project.
“I think hearing some of those stories, in particular from the northern and coastal communities, I think people will start to realize really what is at stake,” she said.
“It’s a really difficult area to put a pipeline through safely and I think the more people learn about it and the more they hear these stories and connections and see pictures then opposition will just grow.”
Enbridge has said the Northern Gateway project would be built to world-class standards for marine safety. The company has also said it would take safety precautions such as burying the pipeline underground.
Ipsos Reid conducted the online survey of 1,000 adults in mid-December. It has a margin of error of 3.1 percent, 19 times out of 20.
U.S. President Obama has been compelled politically to make a decision about the Keystone Pipeline very shortly. Canadian Prime Minister Harper's flea market negotiation style is that the Chinese and others want the oil. The only way Mr. Harper and his friends get the oil to China is from Alberta through British Columbia - and wait - wait - that's right --- down the British Columbia coastline and out to the world's polluters - to the Chinese who own much of the Alberta Tar Sands.
Harper and National PR - gather up Ipsos and say let's push this // let Obama see we have options//but Montana doesn't want Keystone and British Columbia doesn't want this oil - but wait -- wait --- Ipsos only asks about the pipeline. Why don't they bring up the coastline in the question?
Because folks on Vancouver Island - and the coastline and the lower mainland particularly are desperately worried about the coastline - much more than they are worried about the pipeline.
In October 2010 we asked about the delivery of Tar Sands Oil from Alberta by pipeline through British Columbia and wait - wait - down the coast of British Columbia. Barely 30% support this 'total project' not the half measures question asked by Ipsos. If an omission is a lie - well then enough said. What is exciting is that we are re-asking our question from 2010 and have a pretty good idea -- anyhow I am waiting for all the numbers and getting set to write a letter to Barack Obama. My confederate - Jim Van Rassel has a who's who (direct faxes) of everyone who is everyone in the United States. Are we turncoats? Of course not - we believe the public makes the smart decisions - and they are turning away from corporate greed and bad political decisions turning their environment into a nuclear waste dump.
In this letter, I will provide him with the truth about Keystone - Democrats, Republicans Independents etc. I will also tell him that British Columbians don't want this deal either. The U.S. politicos know our media is less than average propaganda -- I know this too. But the Ipsos Enbridge fry poll - hopes to convey that British Columbia is okay with pipelines - a sort of grade 12 equivalency pr manipulation to tell the Americans if BC says a pipeline is ok (with the con job inference of the coast inferred - but not stated) then Americans who love oil should love the Keystone pipeline.
Wrong - the reason a majority of Americans don't want Keystone isn't just the environment - its because some Republican in southern and mid west states - and many Independents may like Canada more than the Middle East - but want energy they control not another nation - whether its a nice country like Canada or not. Strategic interest to Americans is not Tar Sands Oil. Americans don't want short term jobs that a pipeline brings - nor do they want the image of taking on the dirtiest oil in the world from another country. British Columbians do not want to take oil down their coastline - simple. The TSX - Alberta Tar Sands Oil and Harper are screwed and their only chance is to go through BC like Hitler through Czechoslovakia.
This Enbridge deal is the opportunity to break the entire bad bunch - Ottawa/Toronto/Calgary who choose to do whatever they please - as one respondent told me today - Harper is like Campbell and the HST he is going to do what he wants and there is nothing we can do.
I say we need to ignore Mr. Harper's media and national advertising and do what we believe is right - take back our province from these political and media swindlers.
Jokes over.
Jim Van Rassel
Coquitlam BC
Jim Van Rassel
Coquitlam BC
How about US charities masquerading...
British Columbians don't care if there are oil spills along their beautiful coast but future property will.
Spills are a guarantee but there are no guarantees when it comes to how much damage can be done.
The lastest poll was done by someone high on crack and a sample of 1000 isn't a science and nothing to do with fact.
Perhaps governments could focus on the 26000 lost last month instead and this isn't going to cut it.
Ignorance is not going to save you. Read a little more about the facts.
http://www.andrewnikiforuk.com/page2/page2.html
Enbridge is an American company with subsidiary in Calgary Alberta whose downtown office space is entirely oil companies. Their incentives for officers and directors (1%) are regulated by shareholder approval only in the United States and only every three years in Canada. Stock options will make a number of these people rich if the pipeline is approved while the employees must take matched incentives by purchasing shares out of the market place.
If there ever was the Model to a T of the Occupy Movement it is the relationship between finance (Toronto), Oil (Calgary), and media --Vancouver Sun, Province, Ottawa Citizen etc (Toronto), CTV and Globe and Mail (Bell Global media), Shaw Communications (Calgary) and the desire by a handful of people to push through this Enbridge pipeline.
I say anything goes now.
Ipsos put that poll out there as the beginning of the discussions - saying so many aren't aware - we are on the phone now and nothing could be further from the truth. This was a National Public Relations - advertiser-media - Ottawa centered fixed news propaganda - with no underlying discussion of the Enbridge pipeline disaster in Michigan - this is no small disaster.
I can't imagine how crummy it must feel to be a long time qualified journalist working in Canadian media knowing how pitiful your contribution to the real truth of the matter is and knowing you likely contribute more to society teaching at a daycare.
Hecate Strait is not the Gulf of Mexico, the coast of Newfoundland or Valdez, Alaska for that matter. And double-hulled tankers are not bullet-proof and would only limit spillage to about 60% of the oil a single-hulled tanker would. The Exxon Valdez was 125,000 dwt and spilled 11 million barrels of oil. An Enbridge tanker would weigh in at 500,000 dwt. A 60 % spill from a Valdez-like collision would release in the order of 26,000,000 barrels.
Only hubris or stupidity (or greed) could say this is a good idea.
We would be so grateful if the polls were honest. 80% of the BC citizens, are supporting the First Nations, to save their food supply, and our beautiful province.
Harper and Campbell worked frantically to dismantle BC, before Campbell got the boot. They financially destroyed BC, by using their dirty tactics.
BC has earthquakes all over the place. Avalanches, mudslides and rock slides, are very common in BC. It is insane to string a pipeline in BC.
Enbridge has had 804 pipeline spills in the last 10 years. They didn't even clean up their disaster pipeline spill, in the Kalamazoo River.
Who gets rich on the dirty tar? The giant oil corporations, Harper, Alberta, China and BC gets nothing but the risk of a polluted wasteland. We most certainly will get, a tanker spill. The sea around Kitimat, is one of the most treacherous seas in the world.
Consider this - billions and billions of oil dollars - involved in the pipeline - $100 million in slush dollars - you think that they are going to rely on government ideology - or advertising - to get the job done - let's be serious about this.
I will guarantee you that more than a few people who shouldn't be getting rich or benefiting handsomely off this pipeline - will be.
Look at Basi Virk - the BC Rail deal - you don't think some law firms (from where Judges come from - have partnerships in) weren't getting some surprise new business. That entire deal from legislature through to the courts has corruption written all over it.
Wake up folks - it's your province - not Gordon Campbell's - not Christy Clark's - not Stephen Harpers' - and certainly not big bank - Toronto or Calgary - its yours. People remember when someone owes them $50 but refuse to believe bribery and kickbacks aren't going on - over billions.
Very scary.
Perhaps this poll is more balanced:
http://andrewfrank.ca/2012/01/06/independent-poll-shows-plurality-of-bri...