Protest outside LNG ‘open house’ in Richmond yesterday. Photo by Eric Doherty.
The Council of Canadians Delta/Richmond chapter protested at an LNG environmental assessment ‘open house’ yesterday.
The Facebook promotion for the protest said, “Join 350Vancouver members at the Richmond environmental assessment open house for the Tilbury LNG expansion proposal. We are bringing giant puppets representing the threat fossil fuel expansion poses to humanity to haunt the proceedings, and will provide information and talk to residents who are attending the open house.”
Chapter activist Cathy Wilander says, “This open house was ‘hiding’ at the most obscure hotel ever! Three Council of Canadians Delta/Richmond chapter members joined in the fun – Robert Ages, Shirley Ireland and myself. Chapter supporter and long time activist Susan Jones was inside giving ’em hell! No LNG Expansion In Richmond/Delta!”
Eric Doherty adds, “Very windy location, very obscure location, and a series of ghostly wardrobe failures. The corporate hacks were spooked by our spectre, and vainly tried to have the RCMP perform an exorcism. Not likely! Cops didn’t quite laugh at them, but didn’t make much effort to get rid of us.”
The chapter has previously highlighted, “FortisBC plans a $400 million expansion of its Tilbury facility, and a major new LNG port, capable of shipping 3 million metric tonnes of gas per year, has been proposed by WesPac Midstream LLC., to be built on the Fraser River next to the Fortis plant.” The chapter has also commented, “This is a huge expansion of fossil fuel processing, storage, and shipping, right in the middle of the delicate Fraser River estuary. It will mean many hundreds of massive LNG tankers on the river every year, and it will mean the increased danger of explosions, leaks, spills, and devastating accidents.”
In October 2014, the chapter organized a Fracked Gas coming to Delta? public forum against this project. And this past October they also organized a ‘Tale of Two Rivers’ public forum that focused on the Tilbury LNG expansion and other threats to the Fraser River including the removal of the George Massey Tunnel and a new jet fuel tank facility.
The Delta Optimist has reported, “[WesPac Midstream’s proposed marine jetty to ship liquefied natural gas from Tilbury Island] is subject to review under the B.C. Environmental Assessment Act and the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act. The provincial assessment process has been substituted for the federal process… Provincial and federal ministers will each make their own decision on whether to approve the project. …The public can submit comments to the B.C. Environmental Assessment Office on what aspects of the project should undergo an assessment until Dec. 21.”
