It seems impossible, but Enbridge’s Northern Gateway pipeline is back from the dead.
This is the pipeline rejected by numerous municipalities along its route, including the terminus in Kitimat, BC. It’s the pipeline the Supreme Court ruled didn’t adequately consult First Nations, who steadfastly oppose it. It is the pipeline Pierre Trudeau promised pre-election would “never happen” and the pipeline that puts our entire climate at risk.
Everyone thought it was dead -- except for Enbridge -- who just applied for a three-year extension to its construction permit that was set to expire this year. It must know something that we don’t.
But we do know this: Northern Gateway will never get built. Tell Enbridge to give up on its zombie pipeline and withdraw its application.
There’s only one reason Enbridge is only now applying for an extension: despite its utter failure to build a social license for the project and fulfill its legal obligation to gain First Nations approval, it really thinks it can succeed. And there’s reason to think it may be onto something: Prime Minister Trudeau’s Liberals recently hinted to industry that they were willing to flip flop over his election promise to cancel Enbridge.
We can’t let that happen. But the good news is, we’ve fought Enbridge before and eviscerated it. When it tried to buy social license for its pipelines project through crass television ads at Tim Hortons, over 30,000 Canadian SumOfUs members raised our voices and within 48 hours, Timmies yanked the ads. We need to do it again -- except this time there are more than just a few ads at stake.
Let’s come together and tell Enbridge: not a chance. No. More. Northern. Gateway.
We know now how urgent the situation is. The people and workers of Fort McMurray in the heart of the oil patch have been devastated by a wildfire that tore through their homes and workplaces -- a fire likely exacerbated by climate change. If Northern Gateway goes through, it will mean more oil production, more greenhouse gasses, more climate change -- and more deadly forest fires. We can't take that chance.
More information
Enbridge seeks three-year extension to revive stalled Northern Gateway project
Financial Post. 6 May 2016.
Financial Post. 6 May 2016.
‘The opposite of reconciliation’: Trudeau under fire for Northern Gateway flip-flop
Ricochet. 25 April 2016.
Ricochet. 25 April 2016.