VICTORIA – The draft agreement between Premier Christy Clark and Allison Redford announced today indicating the province of Alberta agrees to meet premier Clark’s five conditions raises more questions than answers.

Will Horter, Dogwood Initiative’s executive director, said this in response:

“While it’s not clear what this agreement will do, it’s pretty clear what the agreement won’t do. 

“Today’s announcement does not change the fact that there is significant and widespread opposition of First Nations to these proposals, making it unlikely Enbridge will be able to satisfy Clark’s fourth condition related to First Nations rights and consultation. 

“Nor does what we’ve heard today change the points contained in the B.C. government’s formal rejection of Enbridge’s proposal to the joint review panel. It concluded that in many scenarios on the B.C. coast, effective oil spill response would be ‘impossible or severely constrained.’ Though the B.C. government’s second condition calls for world-leading oil spill response, their official submission explicitly states ‘the goal is effective response [to oil spills],’ strongly implying that Clark’s second condition has not been met.”

The B.C. government also harshly criticized Enbridge’s plans related to Clark’s third condition for pipeline safety and spill response, saying proponents must prove their ability to effectively respond before a certificate is granted. “Trust me is not good enough,” they said. 

“A backroom deal with Alberta’s premier will not create social license where none currently exists,” Horter said. “The public review process on Enbridge is now over. A deal negotiated behind closed doors to ease the pathway for expanding oil tanker traffic on B.C.’s wild coast will be fiercely resisted by a majority of British Columbians. Politicians who ignore this do so at their peril.”

Contact: Will Horter, Executive Director 250 370 9930 ext. 23