Greens would protect BC shoreline from oil spills

SIDNEY, BC – One year after the start of the massive BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, Green Party of Canada Leader Elizabeth May is promising that if the citizens of Saanich-Gulf Islands choose her as their Member of Parliament, she will put all of her considerable skills toward preventing the increase of crude oil shipments along BC’s coast. 

“As I visit communities on our beautiful Gulf Islands, I can’t help imagining the devastating impact that an oil spill could have here,” she commented. “Much of the coastal tourism industry and both the sport and commercial fisheries will be devastated if we were to be assaulted by a major oil slick in the Georgia and Juan de Fuca Straits, along with our wildlife including the endangered southern resident orca population. We need a ban on coastal oil tankers now, while working to quickly shift to a clean economy based on renewable energy and energy conservation.”

The Green Party has long been pushing for a legislated ban on crude oil tankers along BC’s coast, something that is opposed by the Conservative party. The Green Party’s call for a legislated ban on crude oil tankers along BC’s coast includes the north coast, threatened by the Enbridge pipeline and Kitimat oil port proposals, and the south coast.  Only local fuel deliveries would allowed under the ban. Currently, oil tankers carrying Athabasca tar sands crude oil leave Vancouver’s inner harbour through one of the world’s riskiest tanker passage and plough past Stanley Park and the Gulf Islands on their way to California and China.

“It is not enough to only ban tankers on the North coast,” said May. “The risk there is that the route will simply shift south.  We must say no altogether to these tankers, the marine ecosystem and the BC coastline is simply too valuable a resource to risk. The Green Party is the only party calling for an entire coastal ban.”

Every week since 2007, up to 1.2 million barrels of tar sands crude oil is shipped from Vancouver each week.  Now, a five-fold increase in oil tanker traffic is proposed, to send Alberta tar sands oil to Asian and international markets.  Also part of the so-called Northern Gateway project would be a new deep sea port in Prince Rupert and an Enbridge Pipeline from the Athabasca tar sands to Kitimat in northern BC.

“Our current MP, Gary Lunn, thinks it is okay that the ban on oil tankers is voluntary, but the local residents know that tanker traffic is on the rise and they want it to stop,” said May. “The Conservative party are proponents of expanding the Alberta tar sands, despite the sure negative consequences for British Columbia and globally.”

“I commit to working cooperatively with other party leaders to ensure that tanker traffic does not increase and that our valuable coastline is protected for future generations,” said May.

Ms. May will answer questions at an all candidates debate on Saturna Island tonight.

For more info contact:
Kieran Green
Director of Communications
C: 613-614-4916
Kieran.green@greenparty.ca