Peter McCartney

Stop the West Coast Oil Pipeline

As communities across Canada are forced from their homes by worsening wildfires, the federal government is looking to expedite the West Coast Oil Pipeline proposal, to carry one billion barrels of oil from northern Alberta to Delta, B.C.

Why this matters

Slated to end at Roberts Bank,  one of Canada’s most biodiverse marine estuaries, this purposeless pipeline would push the remaining 73 endangered southern resident killer whales to extinction while locking taxpayer money into more fossil fuel infrastructure — fuelling the very wildfires and extreme weather events currently affecting hundreds of people's homes and lives.

What you can do

Tell the Major Projects office, and government officials responsible for this decision, demanding that this proposed pipeline not be designated as a major project in the so-called “national interest” and should not move forward at all. You have until September 18 — write now!

Points to consider

(Use to add to or edit your letter)

  • Following a resolution passed in June against the new pipeline and its associated tankers, the Union of BC Indian Chiefs (UBCIC) wrote an open letter urging the provincial and federal government not to move ahead without free, prior and informed consent of the many First Nations whose territories they cross. We urge the governments of all levels to listen and respect Indigenous rights of self-determination.
  • The proposed terminus for this pipeline, Roberts Bank in Delta, B.C, is home to one of Canada's most biodiverse marine estuaries and critical habitat for the remaining 73 endangered southern resident killer whales. Building this pipeline would push this endangered species and the 100 at-risk species in the estuary closer than ever to extinction.
  • As extreme wildfires have devastated our communities all summer long, countless families, friends and neighbours are losing their homes, communities and loved ones. Expanding fossil fuels with yet another oil pipeline that is driving and worsening these extreme weather events is unacceptable.
  • The pipeline is estimated to cost up to nearly $44 billion likely with cost overruns given the history of infrastructure projects, largely being fronted by taxpayer money. At a time when many people continue to struggle with the cost-of-living crisis, that money could go towards projects and programs that make life more affordable and bring down emissions, such as: expanding public transit, affordable housing and renewable energy. 
  • This project cannot go ahead while expediting critical environmental assessment processes and permissions. Importantly, the jeopardy test under the Species At Risk Act cannot be bypassed under any circumstance, as the project will destroy critical habitat for an endangered species listed under the Act. 
  • This pipeline and its tankers are not in anyone’s interest, and this pipeline should not proceed as a "Project of National Interest," or in any form at all.
Points to consider

(Use to add to or edit your letter)

  • Following a resolution passed in June against the new pipeline and its associated tankers, the Union of BC Indian Chiefs (UBCIC) wrote an open letter urging the provincial and federal government not to move ahead without free, prior and informed consent of the many First Nations whose territories they cross. We urge the governments of all levels to listen and respect Indigenous rights of self-determination.
  • The proposed terminus for this pipeline, Roberts Bank in Delta, B.C, is home to one of Canada's most biodiverse marine estuaries and critical habitat for the remaining 73 endangered southern resident killer whales. Building this pipeline would push this endangered species and the 100 at-risk species in the estuary closer than ever to extinction.
  • As extreme wildfires have devastated our communities all summer long, countless families, friends and neighbours are losing their homes, communities and loved ones. Expanding fossil fuels with yet another oil pipeline that is driving and worsening these extreme weather events is unacceptable.
  • The pipeline is estimated to cost up to nearly $44 billion likely with cost overruns given the history of infrastructure projects, largely being fronted by taxpayer money. At a time when many people continue to struggle with the cost-of-living crisis, that money could go towards projects and programs that make life more affordable and bring down emissions, such as: expanding public transit, affordable housing and renewable energy. 
  • This project cannot go ahead while expediting critical environmental assessment processes and permissions. Importantly, the jeopardy test under the Species At Risk Act cannot be bypassed under any circumstance, as the project will destroy critical habitat for an endangered species listed under the Act. 
  • This pipeline and its tankers are not in anyone’s interest, and this pipeline should not proceed as a "Project of National Interest," or in any form at all.