Ottawa, ON – This Saturday, September 7th, Ecology Ottawa and the Council of Canadians are hosting a public information session for residents of Stittsville and surrounding areas. Stittsville is one of the communities in Ottawa where the proposed TransCanada Energy East pipeline would pass through as it winds its way from the tar sands of Alberta to ports in the Atlantic.
The information session is scheduled for Saturday, September 7th, from 2-4pm, at the Johnny Leroux Community Centre, 10 Warner Colpitts Lane, on the second floor. Media are welcome to silently attend the event and conduct interviews before or after the meeting.
“We are not only concerned for the residents of Stittsville and communities all along the pipeline, whose health, environment and water are all put at risk by this pipeline. We’re also concerned about what this pipeline means for tar sands expansion and dangerous climate change,” said Ben Powless, a pipeline community organizer with Ecology Ottawa.
“We want to make sure the residents of Stittsville and nearby communities have access to information about pipeline risks and why this project isn't about energy security and jobs. TransCanada will be coming through the community to hold hearings that are more like a tradeshow, so we see it as our responsibility to listen and share what we know,” Andrea Harden-Donahue, Energy and Climate Justice Campaigner with the Council of Canadians.
There have already been two public information sessions in the Ottawa area, drawing hundreds of concerned residents. Ecology Ottawa has collected over 2,000 signatures on a local petition, while the Council of Canadians has collected over 11,000 on a national petition opposing the pipeline. Ecology Ottawa has also distributed over 15,000 flyers to homes across Ottawa.
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