VICTORIA, B.C. — Today the B.C. Court of Appeal unanimously ruled that British Columbia does not have the right to impose environmental laws that would protect B.C.’s coast from the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion.
“We are incredibly disappointed to hear of the court’s ruling this morning,” said Dr. Andrew Weaver, leader of the B.C. Greens. “We continue to oppose any development that will further inhibit us from meeting our climate commitments.
“We are currently at a pivotal moment in human history and continued investment in fossil fuel infrastructure is not only short-sighted, it sells out future generations.”
“Just this week it was reported that two more Southern Resident Killer Whales are in poor condition in the Salish Sea,” added Adam Olsen, MLA for Saanich North and the Islands. MLA Olsen, who is a member of Tsartlip First Nation, had intervenor status in this case and focussed his intervention on the issue of Indigenous consultation.
“The risk that diluted bitumen poses to these waters, to the whales, salmon, tourism industry, local communities and First Nations, is immense,” said Olsen. “For us it is not a question of simply protecting BC from this project: it is about setting up all Canadians, and our entire economy, to be resilient in the face of climate change.”
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