Council of Canadians Atlantic organizer Angela Giles will be in Sydney, Nova Scotia today for a 2 pm AT press conference to denounce the plans to drill exploratory wells in the Old Harry area of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, call on the Harper government to reinstate federal marine protection in the Gulf, highlight concerns about the unelected Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board, and to voice opposition about the lack of real public consultations on this issue.
The Cape Breton Post reports, “Foes of oil and gas development in the Gulf of St. Lawrence plan to raise their concerns today in Sydney, where the Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board will hold a public session. …Like the groups Save Our Seas and Shores, the Sierra Club Atlantic, and Council of Canadians, which will also be present in Sydney, (Glace Bay fisher Herb) Nash is calling for a moratorium on oil and gas development in the gulf, where Corridor Resources Inc. plans to drill an exploratory well in the Old Harry area (located in the northeastern part of the Gulf, 95 kilometres northeast of Iles-de-la-Madelaine). Any oil spill could contaminate the ocean off all five provinces touching on the gulf (Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick and Quebec), he said. …The coalition of groups said it is calling on the federal government to get rid of unelected provincial petroleum boards and to reinstate federal marine protection in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. …Sean Kelly, a spokesman for the board, he expects the board will have a draft environmental assessment ready by early December.”
The Council of Canadians has opposed oil exploration in the Gulf of St. Lawrence for several years now.
– On September 11, 2012, CBC reported, “About 50 people from environmental groups, labour unions and the Council of Canadians staged a silent march in protest of oil and gas development and called for a moratorium on oil exploration in the Gulf of St. Lawrence (during a) federal and provincial energy ministers (meeting) in Charlottetown, P.E.I.”
– On March 1, 2012, Council of Canadians energy campaigner Andrea Harden-Donahue wrote, “We support the call for a moratorium on all projects and requests for permits for offshore drilling in the Gulf of St Lawrence. Unlike Environment Minister Peter Kent, we believe an open, democratic process will allow Atlantic Canadians to have their voices heard, leading to right decision – no offshore drilling.”
– On April 7, 2011, “Atlantic Council of Canadians chapter delegates, gathered in Tatamagouche, united in concern with the proposed drilling in the ‘Old Harry’ area of the Gulf of St. Lawrence. (They said) the lack of public consultation and the information void around the proposed drilling has created more questions than answers.”
– On March 28, 2011, Council of Canadians vice-chairperson Leo Broderick wrote the Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board expressing concern that Corridor Resources could be granted a permit to drill an exploration well. Broderick wrote, “The Council of Canadians is requesting that you stop this project. We ask that you declare a moratorium on oil drilling inside the Gulf.”
– On November 17, 2010, the Council of Canadians joined the call from Save Our Seas and Shores, Attention Fragile (Magdalen Islands), Sierra Club Atlantic, and the Ecology Action Centre, for a moratorium on oil and gas development in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
Our action alert on this is at http://canadians.org/action/2012/gulf-st-lawrence.html. Numerous blogs on the issue can be found at http://canadians.org/blog/?s=%22old+harry%22. Today’s news article is at http://www.capebretonpost.com/News/Local/2012-10-10/article-3096794/Groups-want-oil-and-gas-moratorium/1.
