(Victoria) After initial threats of fines and imprisonment, the Royal Canadian Mint is now allowing BC based citizens watchdog group Dogwood Initiative to continue its current campaign against tar sands related tankers on BC’s coast.

“We’re taking the Mint’s silence as consent” stated Charles Campbell, Dogwood Initiative’s Communications Director. “We just got our second batch of 250,000 decals in and will be flooding Canadian cities with them on March 24th, the 20th anniversary of the Exxon Valdez oil spill.”

Dogwood Initiative began distributing removable decals which simulated
an oil spill when applied to Canadian one dollar coins in February and
soon clashed with the Mint over its right to use Canadian currency to
get its message across.

“We gave them an unequivocal response – we’re continuing this campaign. We haven’t heard from them since,” says Campbell.

Dogwood Initiative is using the NoTanker Loonies as part of its campaign for a legislated tanker ban along the coast of BC’s Great Bear Rainforest. Along with other leading environmental groups they have declared March 24th No Tankers Day in Canada in commemoration of the 20th Anniversary of the Exxon Valdez oil spill. Actions are planned across the country and the group’s supporters will be making all their purchases on that day with oil-blackened loonies.

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Background information and images

Hi Res Image: notanker loonies
Hi Res Image: notanker loonie decal sheet

Dogwood Intiative Letter to Mint
Mint Letter to Dogwood Initiative (Feb 2)

Currency Act (Section 11)

Media Release (Feb3): Mint Demands Tanker Protest ‘Cease and Desist’
Media Release (Feb 2): Activists Blacken Thousands of Loonies to Protest against oil tankers.