1754 replies to this topic

[Mike K.]

The feds have extended their pipeline decision deadline to June 18th as they continue to consult Indigenous groups.

[Mike K.]

The senate has moved to strike down the Liberal’s northern oil tanker ban.

A vote against the bill by Independent Sen. Paula Simons, along with the five other Conservative senators on the committee, swayed a final decision in favour of recommending that the senate nix Bill C-48, which effectively bars any oil tankers from entering northern B.C. waters.

The move does not immediately kill the oil tanker moratorium, but a vote by the senate to adopt the committee recommendations would stop the legislation in its tracks. A vote on the report is expected in coming days.

A decision to strike down the bill would provide major relief for oil and gas interest groups, the Alberta government, and some First Nations communities, who have been intensely opposed to the legislation. Opponents of the bill said it unfairly discriminated against oil pipelines that aimed to ship oil from ports along the northern B.C. coast, and even targeted Aboriginal communities who wished to capitalize from natural resource development.

- https://nationalpost...on-life-support

[Victoria Watcher]

Centre-right premiers demanding that the federal government accept compromises on pending legislation to regulate natural resource development are themselves threatening national unity, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Tuesday.

"It's absolutely irresponsible for conservative premiers to be threatening our national unity if they don't get their way," Trudeau told reporters today.

"The fundamental job of any Canadian prime minister is to hold this country together, to gather us together and move forward in the right way. And anyone who wants to be prime minister, like Andrew Scheer, needs to condemn those attacks on national unity."

Trudeau made the remarks a day after the premiers of Ontario, New Brunswick, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and the Northwest Territories wrote him to demand he make concessions on two key government bills.

The first piece of legislation is C-69, the Liberal government's attempt to rewrite the rules for approving major national resource projects in Canada. The second is C-48, the planned ban on oil tankers along B.C.'s northern coast.

 

 

https://www.cbc.ca/n...udeau-1.5171359

[Victoria Watcher]

Jack Mintz: Only one country is contemplating destroying its own resource sector: Canada



https://business.fin...e-sector-canada

[jonny]

Trans Mountain Cabinet decision 2.0 or is it 3.0 is coming down at 13:30 today, Pacific time. 

[Matt R.]

Ready for 4.0?

Matt.

[Victoria Watcher]

Trudeau cabinet approves Trans Mountain expansion project

• Federal officials say construction of the $7.4 billion pipeline is likely to begin in 2019

 

https://www.cbc.ca/n...ision-1.5180269

[spanky123]

Mayor helps issues her statement on the TMP.

 

 

For Immediate Release 

VICTORIA, BC — Mayor Lisa Helps issued the following statement today about the Federal government’s Trans Mountain pipeline approval:  

“The City of Victoria is on the front lines of climate change. Our idyllic coastlines are a defining feature that keeps many of us here and upon which our economies are based. But we also recognize how very fragile those coastlines are.

“That’s why we declared a climate emergency and are working towards carbon neutrality by 2030. And our bold climate leadership plan will phase out fossil fuels entirely by 2050. Given these commitments and our community values, many Victorians have expressed strong opposition to the Trans Mountain pipeline. We have very serious concerns about the impact that increased tanker traffic would have on the long term ecological and economic health of our coastlines.  

“However, I applaud the Federal government by also declaring a climate emergency. It gives me hope that they will be strong partners in helping our City mitigate the immediate impacts of climate change and protect it in the future.”

[RFS]

Does anyone else get the feeling this era's "climate hysteria" will be looked back on sorta like the nuclear hysteria of the 1950s and 60s

[spanky123]

Does anyone else get the feeling this era's "climate hysteria" will be looked back on sorta like the nuclear hysteria of the 1950s and 60s

 

Or the 'climate hysteria' of the 90's. Al Gore made $300M telling us we would be swimming by 2015, why stop?!

[RFS]

Coincidentally, Andrew Scheer is revealing his environment platform tomorrow.

[RFS]

Poll on support or oppose the approval of the pipeline expansion on Victoria Buzz. About 50/50 at the moment.

https://www.facebook...9HsYg&__tn__=-R

Edited by RFS, 18 June 2019 - 02:32 PM.

[SamCB]

Very informative (and well-designed) scrolling infographic from Globe & Mail about the marine shipping risks associated with the project: https://www.theglobe...rticle35043172/

 

I'm disappointed that Horgan et al were unable to effectively communicate that it's the specific marine shipping risks driving most of the opposition among coastal BC. 

 

Personally, I don't care about the climate change too much. Twinning an existing pipeline over land is not a big deal to me. 

 

But a a shitload more tankers (7x more than current), of a size we've never seen in these waters, carrying diluted bitumen (which is non-recoverable), through islands without coastal pilots...... that poses serious concern to me.

 

Some reports put the risk of a spill over the project's 50-year life as being somewhere between 16-67%. That's a problem.... 

 

Ships crash into things... with pretty alarming regularity. This exposes coastal BC residents to more risk than anyone in Alberta... 

 

If there's a spill, can we say goodbye to salmon? Killer whales?  

[Victoria Watcher]

modern ships with the best satellite navigation and remote control never hit anything.  the days of big ship crashes are behind us. no sane insurance company will cover one without the best back-up.

[SamCB]

Ships hit things. Even with the best modern tech. I assure You.

Edited by SamCB, 18 June 2019 - 03:55 PM.

[Victoria Watcher]

Ships hit things. Even with the best modern tech. I assure You.

 

name the last one that crashed that had all the bells and whistles.  it's over.  never again will happen. it's like modern trains and subways.  accidents have been completely eliminated by technology.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 18 June 2019 - 04:09 PM.

[DavidSchell]

How come thousands of tankers and container ships have plied our waters for years with out any crashes, yet a tanker with all the extra safety precautions will?

 

Something not adding up and me thinks it is the over blown risk.

[jonny]

SamCB, you are spreading misinformation.

The tankers will not be any bigger than what we currently see (Panamax) and yes of course they will have coastal pilots onboard as required by existing regulation. They will also now be tug escorted to Buoy J past Race Rocks all the way from Westridge Marine Terminal.

[jonny]

And even if a tanker runs aground, they are all double hulled now.

[Mike K.]

But a a shitload more tankers (7x more than current), of a size we've never seen in these waters, carrying diluted bitumen (which is non-recoverable), through islands without coastal pilots...... that poses serious concern to me.

You’ve fallen for the misinformation campaign.

There will not be a 7x increase in tanker traffic in our waters.