NANAIMO - Elizabeth May, Leader of the Green Party of Canada and Member of Parliament for Saanich-Gulf Islands today congratulates the people of Kitimat, BC on voting No in a plebiscite on the proposed Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipeline.
The final results of the plebiscite were revealed late yesterday evening, with the No side winning with 58.4% of the vote.
In advance of the vote, Enbridge had spent millions of dollars on local advertising and had brought in numerous lobbyists to build support for the pipeline.
"The people of Kitimat have spoken loud and clear, and they do not want this pipeline," said May. "This vote is an important step in the right direction, because it shows that the people who will be the most directly affected by this project won't accept Enbridge's false promises of jobs as compensation for the risk of a devastating tanker spill."
If completed, the Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipeline would transport dilbit, a toxic mixture of oil sands bitumen and chemical diluent, for 1170 kilometers from northern Alberta to the port of Kitimat. Once in Kitimat, the dilbit would be loaded onto super tankers and shipped through the 260-km Hecate Strait, a narrow channel crowded with islands and prone to storms and thick fog. The cleanup costs for a single spill have been estimated at over $9 billion.
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Contact:
Nicholas Gall
Communications Officer
Green Party of Canada
(613) 614 4916
nicholas.gall@greenparty.ca