The Council of Canadians is opposed to the Energy East pipeline.
In April 2014, Council of Canadians chairperson Maude Barlow led panel presentations in six Ontario communities (Kenora, Thunder Bay, North Bay, Ottawa, Kemptville and Cornwall). Then in October-November 2014, Barlow led another series of presentation in five Atlantic communities (Halifax, Cornwallis, Saint John, Fredericton and Edmundston).
And now she is about to embark on a four community tour in the Prairie provinces:
April 11 – Winnipeg, MB
April 13 – Regina, SK
April 15 – Swift Current, SK
April 16 – Moose Jaw, SK
On this tour, Barlow will be joined by Ben Gotschall, a rancher from Nebraska opposed to the Keystone XL pipeline, Melissa Daniels, a Dene lawyer with the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation, and Fawn Wapioke, Chief of Iskatewizaagegan (Shoal Lake 39) and member of the Grassroots Indigenous Water Defence.
At the completion of this tour, the Council of Canadians will have visited more than 15 communities to build opposition to the Energy East project.
This upcoming tour also comes at an interesting time. Just last week, TransCanada confirmed that it will stop seeking to build an oil terminal on the St. Lawrence River at Cacouna, Quebec. That terminal would have loaded 175 supertankers a year with bitumen for export on the river. As a result, the company is considering other locations for export terminals and is needing now to amend its regulatory filings with the National Energy Board. This means that the earliest the pipeline could be operational is 2020, rather than the original estimate of 2018.
Council of Canadians energy and climate justice campaigner Andrea Harden-Donahue has commented, “Yes it’s a win, but ultimately the entire project needs to be scrapped. I think we’re going to see more municipalities taking a stand on this, more landowners. I think (aboriginal group) opposition along the route is strong and growing.”
Our Prairies tour is a part of our ongoing effort to help grow opposition along the pipeline route and to ensure that the project is indeed scrapped.
For more on our campaign against the Energy East pipeline, and our reasons for opposing the pipeline, please click here.
Further reading
Energy East pipeline may put at risk Winnipeg’s drinking water (January 2014 blog)
Sapotaweyak Cree Nation blockades hydro line that could power Energy East pipeline (January 2015 blog)
Regina chapter activist Jim Elliott opposes Energy East export pipeline (October 2014 blog)
TransCanada responds to Council of Canadians critique of pipeline safety in Regina (February 2015 blog)
Council activists protest Energy East ‘open house’ in Moose Jaw (October 2014 blog)
TransCanada proposes an Energy East oil terminal in Saskatchewan (November 2014 blog)
