From the Dogwood Initiative:
Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain expansion is inching toward final approval. By next spring, the Texas company hopes to build a diluted bitumen pipeline bringing almost four times as many oil tankers per year into the already crowded Burrard Inlet. Hundreds of these oil laden ships bound for refineries in China will have the difficult job of navigating around one another, as well as those returning from sea, squeezing in and out of Vancouver Harbour.
The federal government is holding roundtable meetings in Vancouver next week to hear from the communities affected by Kinder Morgan’s proposal, including a public town hall open to citizens like you on Wednesday, August 17. You can RSVP here.
August 16: Vancouver B.C., SFU Morris J Wosk Centre for Dialogue, Room 100 (Asia Pacific Hall)
1000-1100: Socio-economic NGO roundtable
1130-1230: Transportation roundtable
1330-1430: Economic roundtable
1500-1630: Local government roundtable
August 17: Vancouver B.C.
1100-1230: NGO roundtable, SFU Morris J Wosk Centre for Dialogue, Room 100 (Asia Pacific Hall)
1430-1930: Public town hall, SFU Segal Building, Rooms 1200-1500 <<<
August 18: Vancouver B.C., SFU Morris J Wosk Centre for Dialogue, Room 100 (Asia Pacific Hall)
930-1130: First Nations roundtable
1300-1630: Environmental NGO roundtable
Here’s the catch: Members of the public are welcome to attend at the designated times, but the amount of time they will allow us to speak, if at all, is limited.
I’m disappointed. I thought when Prime Minister Trudeau promised to re-do the Kinder Morgan review that he sincerely wanted to hear from citizens in British Columbia. Instead, the government is racing through these summer meetings so they can make a final decision in December.
Even more disappointing still is the appointment of one of the panel members, former Tsawwassen chief Kim Baird, who during her last term took part in a leadership exchange with Kinder Morgan Canada’s president, Ian Anderson, that lasted several months. Afterwards, she and the pipeline company signed a partnership agreement to share staff between Kinder Morgan and the First Nation’s office. Kim Baird’s appointment to the panel is crazy, and a total conflict of interest.
Under these circumstances, it’s important we witness what the federal panel is saying to First Nations and local politicians -- and show the panel that local people will come together and fight for their community when big oil companies try to ram through their risky projects. If enough people show up and speak, maybe the panel will actually return to Ottawa to relay a true account of what they heard: British Columbians do not give their consent.
I hope you can attend the public town hall on Wednesday, August 17 at 2:30 p.m.
Thank you for your commitment to taking action,
Laura Benson, Organizing Director
P.S. The Kinder Morgan proposal would have serious impacts on health and safety, fish and wildlife, Indigenous rights and Canada’s ability to meet our climate targets. Yet the government is trying to compress public consultation into a compact series of meetings in the middle of summer. We need to show Ottawa it’s making a major miscalculation.
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Topic: Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain Pipeline Hearings (Read 2319 times)