British Columbia

[Webpage editor's note: It has long been suspected that one motivation for the proposed 10 lane bridge to replace the currrent 4 lane Massey tunnel under the Fraser River in Metro Vancouver was to enable larger ships to sail up and down the river (the tunnel limits a deeper river channel). Steve Ree's blog provides some evidence regarding LNG carriers.]

The B.C. budget claims the province is making money from shale gas. But last month The Tyee showed the province is pouring more cash into the industry than it is getting back.

In fact the only time the B.C. government made any money from shale gas was during a land lease boom nearly a dozen years ago. Ever since then, revenues have dwindled to next to nothing due to low royalties and taxpayer-funded subsidies to the ailing shale gas industry.

As a policy analyst with the right-wing think tank, the Fraser Institute, Fazil Mihlar co-authored a paper that among other things, advised British Columbia to do away with its environmental assessment act.

News Release

 For Immediate Release

First Nations leaders have rejected BC Minister of Natural Gas Development Rich Coleman's recent comments that the BC Government has the full support of First Nations impacted by the Petronas LNG project proposed for Lelu Island.

The federal government has pushed the pause button on a final decision for the Pacific NorthWest LNG (PNW) project, delaying it by three months until the company provides more information on environmental and Aboriginal impacts.

This includes: effects on fish and fish habitat including the Flora Bank, effects on marine mammals, effects of construction noise and light on human health, and effects on current Aboriginal use of lands and resources for traditional purposes.

The federal department, Environment and Climate Change Canada, has given the green light to the controversial Woodfibre LNG project, ruling on Friday that the proposal is "not likely to cause significant adverse environmental effects."

The Council of Canadians has joined with allies to call on the federal government launch an environmental review of the proposed Massey Bridge in Metro Vancouver and to withhold federal infrastructure funding from the project.

For context, the George Massey Tunnel is an existing highway traffic tunnel in Metro Vancouver that is located about 20 kilometres south of Vancouver city centre. The four-lane highway goes under the south arm of the Fraser River estuary and joins the municipalities of Richmond and Delta.