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Enbridge Northern Gateway
Eighteen lawsuits, including ones brought by our clients, have been filed and consolidated in to one mega-hearing that begins in Vancouver on Thursday. In the courtroom, Enbridge and the federal government will be up against steadfast, unwavering opposition from a diverse set of interest that includes First Nations communities, environmental groups and organized labour
A report released today by the University of Victoria's Environmental Law Centre calls for sweeping reform of Canadian charitable law in line with other jurisdictions such as the U.S., Australia, New Zealand and England. Current rules around "political activity" are confusing and create an "intolerable state of uncertainty," the report says.
So let's do the math here: three pipelines stretching 4,197 kilometres, generating tens of billions of dollars in profit, the vast bulk of which will leave Canada, for 228 permanent jobs at Enbridge, 50 at Kinder Morgan and 35 at Keystone XL. That's 14 jobs per kilometre. A word to the wise -- don't leave your day job.
Some of the strongest legal challenges against the Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline come from B.C.'s First Nations, and supporters from across B.C. are digging into their pockets to help ensure those are a success.
"On my mind as the saga unfolded were the fisheries the Haida depend on for jobs and food, as well as the whales and migratory birds that would be impacted by a spill."
The Simushir, a Russian-flagged cargo vessel is the newest cause celebre of anti-tanker activists out in British Columbia. Liberal MP Joyce Murray and NDP finance critic Nathan Cullen are waving distress flags over what they portray as a near-disaster that reveals systemic faults in Canada's shipping-safety regime.
Enbridge is expected to be a significant issue in this fall's municipal election campaign in Kitimat, just as Woodfibre LNG is expected to be in Squamish.
The Conservative government's decision to approve the Northern Gateway pipeline is the greatest threat to national unity since the Quebec crisis in 1995. It is reminiscent of Pierre Trudeau's National Energy Program of 1980, except in that case the program could be and was cancelled. This is, simply put, an "up yours" to our province of B.C.
