From October 2-3, the Maritimes Energy Association will host their Core energy conference on Canada’s East Coast energy future. In response, the Council of Canadians is organizing a series of events reminding Atlantic Canada’s energy industry representatives that offshore drilling is part of our past, not our future.
While energy industry officials engage in sessions with government and Indigenous representatives, the Council of Canadians will host a rally and two public events to present the serious risks of offshore drilling Nova Scotia and the growing opposition to it.
We invite you to join these free public events!
Check out our webpage and join our facebook event. Here are the details:
October 2 – Rally
As participants in the Core energy industry conference finish their day, we will be outside reminding them that offshore drilling puts marine life and good jobs at risk!
Join the rally at 4:30 p.m. outside the Neptune Theatre, 1593 Argyle Street, Halifax
October 3 – Public Panel, South Shore
Join us for a public panel on the risks and growing opposition to offshore drilling Nova Scotia. Speakers will share important information and analysis, which will be followed by a question and answer session featuring Maude Barlow, Honorary Chairperson, the Council of Canadian, Chelsea Fougere, Campaign to Protect Offshore Nova Scotia (CPONS) member, David DeVenn, Mayor of Mahone Bay, Rachel Bailey, Mayor of Lunenburg, and Melissa Labrador, traditional knowledge keeper and artist.
7:00 p.m., Mahone Bay Centre, 45 School Rd, Mahone Bay.
October 4 – Public Panel, Halifax
Join us for a public panel on the risks and growing opposition to offshore drilling Nova Scotia. Speakers will share important information and analysis, which will be followed by a question and answer session featuring Maude Barlow, Honorary Chairperson, the Council of Canadians, Marilynn-Leigh Francis, Indigenous fisher from the Yarmouth area, Chelsea Fougere, CPONS member, and Dorene Bernard, grassroots grandmother and water protector.
7:00 p.m., Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, 1675 Lower Water St, Halifax.
Not only does the threat of a spill offshore Nova Scotia put good jobs and marine ecology at risk, this summer’s extreme climate events – from wildfires to torrential rain and heat waves – needs to be a wake up call to stop expanding the production and use of fossil fuels, and plan for a just transition to a sustainable energy future.
We know that building public pressure against further offshore drilling is critical to stopping it.
The Council of Canadians has been working hard to do just this, by sounding the alarm about BP (a “silver” corporate sponsor of the Core conference). BP is already drilling offshore Nova Scotia and 61 days after it started, had its first spill near Sable Island. We will continue to work with Indigenous and fishing industry friends and the Offshore Alliance on actions such as written government submissions, rallies, and helping shift impacted local councils in the right direction.
The Core energy conference is a key opportunity to bring people together again to hear the latest information about the risks of offshore drilling, and what can be done to stop it.
If you haven’t already, join the over 60,000 people that have signed our petition against BP offshore drilling Nova Scotia. When we reach 100,000 signatures we will deliver them to Environment and Climate Change Minister Catherine McKenna.
