Hartley Bay Residents Open Homes to Strangers -- Again
B. McPherson Residents of the BC coastal community opened their homes to the public during the hearings about the oil pipeline proposed by Enbridge. It is beginning to look as if the might of the federal government is being brought to bear on the side of the project. The minister for natural resources spoke out before hearings, which are supposed to be neutral fact finding, strongly in favour of the pipeline. The prime minister, Stephen Harper, has stated that the Northern Gateway project is in the national interest. Last week Transport Canada released a report that in effect threw their weight behind the project, dubbing the supertanker routes proposed as “appropriate” and lacking any obstructions to navigation. The report acknowledged that there is always some risk in these undertakings but basically dismissed the coastal people’s concerns. Including proposed liquefied natural gas terminals in the area, there could be 415 additional oil tankers, liquefied natural gas carr...