Oil in Eden: The Battle to Protect Canada's Pacific Coast

It's one of the last bastions of Canadian wilderness: the Great Bear Rainforest, on BC's north and central Pacific coast. Home to humpback whales, wild salmon, wolves, grizzlies, and the legendary spirit bear - this spectacular place is now threatened by a proposal from Enbridge to bring an oil pipeline and supertankers to this fragile and rugged coast. The plan is to pump over half a million barrels a day of unrefined bitumen from the Alberta Tar Sands over the Rockies, through the heartland of BC - crossing a thousand rivers and streams in the process - to the Port of Kitimat, in the heart of the Great Bear Rainforest. From there, supertankers would ply the rough and dangerous waters of the BC coast en route to Asia and the United States. Dubbed the Northern Gateway Pipeline, the project is of concern for three main reasons: 1. It would facilitate the expansion of the Tar Sands, hooking emerging Asian economies on the world's dirtiest oil; 2. the risks from the pipeline itself; 3. the danger of introducing oil supertankers for the first time to this part of the BC coast.

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• Oil
• Great Bear Rainforest
• BC
• Alberta
• Tar Sands
• Enbridge
• Northern Gateway
• pipeline
• environment
• ecology
• spirit bear
• grizzly
• wild salmon
• orca
• humpback whale
• supertanker
• VLCC
• coast

[gooddaver]

Silly tree-huggers! How will giant oil companies make the much needed billions in short term profits for their share holders, many of which don't even live in Canada?

[boonw]

@MatttthewF

"The biggest industry in BC is tourism"

Its actually cannabis production. But the harper government wants to stamp it out.

"Alberta oil helps to pay for free health care, welfare"

Thats not the issue. the issue is that the government subsidizes incredibly profitable companies and ignores environmental regulations in order to make this project profitable.

Oil companies are not scared away easily. the cards are in our hands, if they want to dig, we dictate the terms.

[richynavsun]

they don't know how "radical" and to what extent and direction any opposition will take. Beware the Harfper policy of Divide and Conquer. Do not let cross currents occur by gov't provoceteurs with money and paid insiders. There are always those who will sell their souls to the devil for next to nothing.

[DjBall]

@noftchks1 silly twat, we know that Communist China is partners with and supporting Enbridge,

Google "Sinopec Enbridge" and get fucked.

Retard, please enough of the Ethical Oil horseshit campaign.

Nobody believes you or Bitumen Barbie.

nobody in BC wants the pipeline or the tankers. all risk for us.

you can't eat oil but you can live off the sea.

you should go fishing in a tailings pond.

[johnwelsh696969]

On Monday, July 26, 2010, an estimated 19,000-barrels worth of oil leaked into Marshall Michigan from Enbridge pipelines. 19,000 barrels of oil = 3,020,758.7 Litres of oil right near the great lakes of Canada and the U.S.

Source: Enbridge Website (and assuming 1 barrel = 158.9873Litres)

[johnwelsh696969]

In 2009 Enbridge spilled 1,328,020.92 Litres of crude oil within Canada (8,353 barrels). 1 Litre of oil spilled in water can contaminate up to 1,000,000.00 litres of water. If all the oil they spilled ended up in the water it would have contaminated up to 1,328,020,920,000.00 Litres of water. This is one year. Do the math.

Source: Enbridge

[thatstheguy07]

@noftchks1 No, its outrageous that there are actually Canadian citizens who would want this to happen. You fool.

Derogatory terms??? Its the truth. Wtf. Do you live in Alberta, by any chance??

[justdynee]

Canada's Prime Minister, Harper is selling Asbestos to third world countries knowing full well that they will be handling the asbestos with no protection. In short he is inflicting poor people with no chance with all sorts of Cancers, and in their countries excruciating deaths. He is trying to streamline the applications for all sorts of mines in Canada. Now the Canadian Government in the name of employment, and economic progress pushes to push a pipeline through paradise. We need your help.

[Kriegtime101]

Economies are always more important than food, or air or water. Who needs local and wild fish when you can buy chinese seafood after you sell them the most disgusting oil in the world.

[noftchks1]

"the world's dirtiest oil" and the term 'tarsand' are both derogatory terms used by extreme enviromentalists working to destroy the Alberta and Canadian economies by focusing world hippy attention on our DOMESTIC ISSUE. It is outrageous that foreiners (USA) are allowed to have a say in the development of OUR natural resources.

Every american that shows face at our own review process should be deported! This is a CANADIAN issue, all other countries --- go home.

[dooboppers]

SCREW THIS PROJECT, MAN. get outta here