Canada approves oil pipeline to the Pacific Coast

originally posted by: Psynic

originally posted by: ccseagull
a reply to: InTheLight
The Natives' response will be about the pipeline and it will be about more than the pipeline - it comes down to treaties and land claims and the fact that the government is imposing itself on their rightful land ownership - the land is embedded in Natives' very being.

And the first nations want to be the beneficiaries from the sale of the resources on their lands.

They aren't trying to stop the tar sands project, just cash in on it like all the other short sighted greedy corporations.

If the tar sands oil is extracted and burnt, global warming and ocean acidification would reach the tipping point.

Any suggestion that Canada's Indigenous People care more for mother earth than environmentalists of other ethnicities is self-serving and disingenuous.

Let's wait and see how the court battle goes before we start making unfounded accusations.

It's a shame we can't move away from our dependance on this resource and use a mix of lower footprint solar, wind and electrical.

yinkadene.ca...

a reply to: Psynic

Nowhere at any time did I suggest the Natives care more than anyone else for mother earth. What I am getting at is the uprising I foresee that will happen.

What I do hear from so many people who haven't bothered to get to know Natives, is how this is a money grabbing opportunity for them. Yes, maybe for some, as the fact is Natives are just like you and me and we all have our different personalities, etc. However, to paint Natives in one brush stroke as seeing this as a money making opportunity is so blatantly close minded.

What I am saying is that I have a feeling, a very strong feeling, that we are going to see an uprising of proportions never seen before. And the Natives will band with anyone willing to fight with them. Band in terms of using knowledge as power, spreading information, seeking power in voices. In fact it just might be the very fact that they have been so disregarded and ill treated and having had their entire culture ripped apart that will give them strength to fight this pipeline. And with that strength the rest of Canada might have a chance of preventing future disasters from happening. The town of Kitimat had a vote to go with or without the pipeline. Unfortunately because the Haisla Village is not within city tax limits they were not able to vote. This was not a binding vote but it told the government how the town felt. And the vote was no. So if you consider the fact that if the Village had been allowed to vote how much more of a no it would have been... and if you count the fact that the majority of Kitimat is non Native then the fact is most people don't want the pipeline. And so what I am saying is combined, together, with all peoples, we have a stronger chance to make a difference.

Of course every other culture and ethnicity living in Canada has members involved in environmental groups, etc.

Your comments about Natives just wanting to cash in is ridiculous and extremely uninformed.



The plebiscite had also raised tensions between the District of Kitimat and the nearby Haisla First Nation, which is adamantly opposed to Northern Gateway.

Many Haisla were not allowed to vote because Kitamaat Village, a federal Indian reserve, is outside the municipal boundaries.

In a letter to local media, Haisla Chief Coun. Ellis Ross had called the decision to hold a vote at this late date a "slap in the face" for all the work done by the Haisla on the project.

A demonstration by members of the Haisla Nation at Kitimat's City Centre Mall quickly turned into a celebration after the vote results were announced. The Haisla Spirit of Kitlope Dancers led the celebration with drumming, singing and dancing.

Some Kitimat residents also joined the party, as did Nathan Cullen, the NDP Member of Parliament for Skeena Bulkley Valley.

Cullen, who has been a harsh critic of the project, said Saturday's vote sends a clear message that Stephen Harper's government must listen to.

"This is a resounding no to the Conservative policies. This is one of the most powerful grass roots things I have ever been associated with. This is good politics," he said.

Gerald Amos, an environmentalist and former member of the Haisla Nation Council, said, "The town of Kitimat has rejected a project that is not good for our economy. It endangers everything we worked for as a people here in Kitimat for the last ten thousand years."


Read more: bc.ctvnews.ca...

On a side note I notice that the price of gas is at a record high in Vancouver. $1.50 a litre.

Yup, living next to the biggest oil producing province for the past 20 years has done squat as far as "benefits" go.

-I'm sure we here in BC can expect NOTHING from this pipeline, except maybe padding the pockets of big business in Ottawa.

originally posted by: masqua
there's also the BC government with their 5 'wants', including a share of the revenues and that isn't going to be an easy sell to Alberta.

Of course that will be a very hard sell to Alberta. It doesn't involve Alberta. Revenues, on the transportation end, are between the land holders and the transportation company (Enbridge).

Now, if the BC government keeps on insisting on the rights to revenues derived from extraction, well than I am sure that Alberta has rights to BC fishery revenues, BC lumber revenues, etc, etc, no? All's fair is it not?

Besides that, there's the rest of the BC population which predominantly opposes the Gateway project.

So, they are so environmentally conscious that they want the oil shipped in the much safer environment of train? Lol. I hope for all of BC's sake, that that isn't the case. Sadly, pipe is safer than rail or road...pick your poison.

Those 15 Conservative sitting MPP's must be getting a little nervous.

I doubt this will have much of an effect. It's not like this will be the first election with Con's offering support to this project.

a reply to: canucks555
If you are looking for a price decrease, this isn't the project that will provide it.

For a price decrease here, we need to increase the supply of gasoline here. Raw oil doesn't provide that.

But, if we put up more refineries...we need more pipelines...and, it is, quite frankly, hard enough to get one project going, let alone multiple projects.

Granted, that isn't to say that BC couldn't build a refinery or two...as it would seem that they will soon have ample supply of raw product. Lol, you could even sell a lot of it back to Alberta.

originally posted by: Psynic
At first I thought the First Nations were opposed to the Alberta Tar Sands Project because of the damage it would do to the environment, but from what I've seen their main concern is getting remunerated by the oil companies.
About as much to do with their culture as casinos.

Have you looked at the route? Not just for the pipeline, but the shipping channel? And factored in that it's not a matter if IF there is a spill...but WHEN?

I'm getting pretty tired of these theocratic leaders running roughshod over environmental concerns because the Rapture's just around the corner, anyway. Even in the Conservative Party...they're known as 'Crazies'.

Here's another petition site for anyone that is interested.

secure.avaaz.org...

The issue is not pipeline or no pipeline.

The Alberta Tar Sands, as voted by 400 environmentalist associations, is the single, most destructive man made ecological disaster in the world.

a reply to: InTheLight

Or geothermal

www.bcsea.org...

originally posted by: InTheLight
Here's another petition site for anyone that is interested.

secure.avaaz.org...

Sign the petition against the BC pipeline and you're helping the Koch's push through KXL.

This is a Red Herring.

The real disaster is just digging up the tar sands and burning it.

How it's transported is TOTALLY IRRELEVANT.

I think this whole issue is a ploy.

originally posted by: Psynic

originally posted by: InTheLight
Here's another petition site for anyone that is interested.

secure.avaaz.org...

Sign the petition against the BC pipeline and you're helping the Koch's push through KXL.

This is a Red Herring.

The real disaster is just digging up the tar sands and burning it.

How it's transported is TOTALLY IRRELEVANT.

I think this whole issue is a ploy.

The real disaster is continuing our dependence on oil and gas, in any which way. As well, transporting it via pipelines that leak and tanker ships in dangerous waters off B.C.'s coast is totally relevant to the people that live there and to me. Yes, it's a ploy for more money in the pockets of those that seem to care only for the almighty buck.