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Liberal MP calls on public to support oil tanker ban Residents facing potential ‘tax shock’ PAUL RUDAN
CAMPBELL RIVER MIRROR
Why should people in Campbell River care about a possible oil pipeline and tankers streaming into the port of Kitimat? “The only thing in it for Campbell River would be an oil spill,” said Mike Holland, the federal Liberal candidate for North Island. Holland joined up with Liberal MP Joyce Murray on Wednesday to support her bill to formalize the oil tanker ban on the North Coast. “Is there or isn’t there a moratorium? There never has been a law,” said the member for Vancouver Quadra, during a small gathering at Banner’s Restaurant. The news rattled Leona Adams of the Campbell River Estuary Protection Group who thought the moratorium on tanker traffic – for the North Coast as well as the Inside Passage – had some legal clout. But, according to Murray, the federal Conservative government does not recognize an “official moratorium,” enacted by former Liberal Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau in 1972. “We need it to be a law,” Adams replied. But North Island MP John Duncan disagreed. “I don’t comprehend the practicality of what they’re trying to accomplish,” the Conservative member said Thursday during a phone interview. “We can’t support it. I think it’s quite a backwards move. It’s not consistent with the Asia-Pacific gateway and it penalizes the B.C. and
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Liberal MP Joyce Murray is asking the public to support her bill to ban oil tankers on B.C’s North Coast. A potential spill, she said, could foul beaches to the south tip of Vancouver Island. C-606 which would “ban oil tank- tanker which ran aground in Canadian economies.” Duncan noted that tankers ers on the dangerous waterways 1989 and spilled nearly 40 million litres of crude oil into Prince carrying natural gas and liq- of B.C.’s North Coast.” “I’ll need help with my bill,” William Sound. uid propane already come and Last year’s BP oil rig explosion go from ports in Kitimat and she said. “The legislators need and spill of more than 750 milPrince Rupert. He said the gov- to hear from their voters.” Murray is raising the issue lion litres of crude into the Gulf ernment’s objective is to ensure tanker safety and oil tankers now due to the ongoing con- of Mexico is a more immediate would need be double-hulled to troversy over the proposal by reminder of the environmental Enbridge to build a 1,170-kilome- and economic damage oil spills help prevent a breach. Tankers already carry oil out tre pipeline to carry crude from cause. “There’s always the risk of of Vancouver and Cherry Point the Alberta oilsands to Kitimat, in Washington State, and in all where it would be transferred to human error and technological error,” said Murray. “A major the years, there’s never been an huge tankers. “Today’s tankers carry eight spill (on the North Coast) at incident, Duncan added. MP Murray spent this week times more oil than the Exxon the wrong time of year could touring Island communities to Valdez did,” Murray pointed foul beaches to the south end of Continued on Page A4 gather public support for Bill out, referring to the Alaskan oil
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The city needs to “pare down” or run the risk of having to make some “mildly radical” changes, according to a city councillor looking at this year’s pre-budget figures. “The only other way around this is looking at the level of services we provide this city,” Coun. Roy Grant said. “Citizens are going to be in for a real shock if we don’t reconsider. We’ve either got to pare down considerably or we’re looking at some mildly radical solutions to the problems here.” Coun. Claire Moglove said reducing services is a balancing Continued on Page A3
WebPoll We asked: Should the Elk Falls Mill become a landfill and waste-to-energy operation? You said: Yes – 41 votes (31%) No – 90 votes (68%) Today’s question: Should we ban oil tankers on the B.C. coast? Vote at campbellrivermirror.com
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