Media Release

Media Statement: February 1st, 2016
Andrew Weaver Comments on the Great Bear Rainforest Agreement
For Immediate Release

Victoria B.C. – Andrew Weaver, Leader of the B.C. Green Party and MLA for Oak Bay – Gordon Head.

“I am thrilled that after 20 years of negotiation and compromise that we finally have an agreement that can provide a pathway forward for our province on balancing the development of  local economies with the necessary protection of our ecosystem. This has to start with acknowledging the rights of First Nations communities.”

“I hope the newly founded Reconciliation Protocols and Strategic Engagement Agreements will result in more efficient and respectful negotiation processes going forward. The government has made it clear that they think this is a world class model for environmental and economic protection, if that is the case I hope to see it implemented province-wide.

I am optimistic about today’s Great Bear Rainforest Agreement and commend the incredible dedication and perseverance of everyone involved in the lengthy negotiation process. I look forward to talking to the government about their supporting legislation in the upcoming Spring session and learning more about how they plan to implement this landmark agreement.”

Media Contact

Mat Wright
Press Secretary – Andrew Weaver MLA
Cell: 250 216 3382
Mat.wright@leg.bc.ca
Twitter: @MatVic

Media Statement: January 28, 2016
New Federal Rules on Energy Projects Welcome in BC
For Immediate Release

Victoria B.C. – New Federal rules on major energy projects announced today from the Government of Canada are welcomed by Andrew Weaver, Leader of the BC Green Party and MLA for Oak Bay – Gordon Head.

“I am absolutely thrilled that the new federal Liberal Government continues to exemplify leadership on climate change” says Andrew Weaver. “As a climate scientist, I see including upstream emissions on energy projects as a major step forward for Canada. It is long overdue and the federal government deserves a lot of credit for introducing this substantive change to the NEB process.”

Earlier today the Minister for the Environment and Climate Change and the Minister for Natural Resources held a joint press conference on the new regulatory changes the Federal government is implementing.

“It’s encouraging to see some leadership from our Federal Government,” says Weaver. “I strongly agree with Minister McKenna’s comments about the need to reinstate Canadian’s trust in the environmental review process.”

For Kinder Morgan, the government will appoint a ministerial representative to consult the communities, including indigenous communities, who could be affected by the project. The new rules announced today will delay the Kinder Morgan pipeline review by at least four months – a cabinet decision on the project is now expected in December 2016.

“It’s important to note, however, that as the MLA for a coastal riding, this announcement does nothing to alleviate my concerns on spill response and spill preparedness. For British Columbians the central issue is about the potential for a catastrophic accident and not as much about the climate impacts of the project. On these grounds the project should still be rejected.”

The new rules will also affect at least two LNG projects in the province: the Pacific Northwest LNG project and the Woodfibre LNG project.

“I’ve stated many times that our climate goals are incompatible with the BC Liberals’ LNG strategy so I’m encouraged to see that upstream emissions will now be considered as part of the environmental review for LNG projects” says Weaver. “While I am hopeful that the inclusion of upstream emissions will be given the importance it deserves, I caution that it will be difficult for the Federal Government to accurately account for fugitive emissions in its assessment.”

Mat Wright
Press Secretary – Andrew Weaver MLA
Cell: 250 216 3382
Mat.wright@leg.bc.ca
Twitter: @MatVic

Victoria, B.C. – Andrew Weaver, Leader of the B.C. Green Party and MLA for Oak Bay–Gordon Head, has issued the following statement on behalf of the B.C. Green Party in regard to the events today in La Loche, Saskatchewan:

“As with everyone in British Columbia and across our country, we have been following the tragic news of the shootings in La Loche, Saskatchewan today. Our thoughts are with the families and friends of the victims, and the entire community who are coping with this appalling event.”

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Media contact
Mat Wright, Press Secretary
Office of Andrew Weaver, MLA
1 250 216 3382
mat.wright@greenparty.bc.ca

Media Statement January 20, 2016
Andrew Weaver presents final oral argument in NEB hearings
For immediate release

Victoria B.C. – Today at 1:30 pm, Andrew Weaver, MLA for Oak Bay – Gordon Head and Leader of the B.C. Green Party, presented his oral summary argument in the National Energy Board Hearings for the Trans Mountain Expansion Project. Representatives from the Coldwater Indian Band spoke before Andrew Weaver and he was followed by the Stz’uminus First Nation.

Andrew Weaver was the only MLA who applied to be an intervenor, reviewing the project both as a scientist, critiquing the Proponent’s understanding of how diluted bitumen would interact with the marine environment, and as an MLA, raising concerns shared by people across BC.

“I have been a part of this process for almost two years, examining the application and trying to get answers about the impacts it may have on our communities,” said Andrew Weaver. “The fact is that Trans Mountain have not demonstrated that they have the ability to respond to a dilbit spill in BC coastal waters. This is just one of many reasons that this application needs to be rejected.”

In his oral argument presented today, Weaver outlined a number of deficiencies, both with the application and with the NEB process. His testimony outlined that there are no conditions that could address the flaws inherent in Trans Mountain’s Proposal. He argued that the Board should recommend to the Governor in Council that the Application be dismissed altogether.

“Trans Mountain has failed to demonstrate that this pipeline is in the best interests of British Columbians,” Andrew Weaver told the Board today. “There considerable deficiencies inherent in existing and proposed spill response measure and the human health risk assessment provided by the Proponent does not adequately portray the potential health effects that may occur in the event of an oil spill.”  

In light of the evidence, Andrew Weaver and the BC Green Party have called for a moratorium to be put in place on the existing tanker transportation of Dilbit along the West Coast.

A transcript of Andrew Weaver’s oral argument can be found on his website:  http://www.andrewjweaver.ca/2016/01/20/final-oral-summary/

Media Contact
Mat Wright – Press Secretary, Andrew Weaver MLA
1 250 216 3382
mat.wright@leg.bc.ca

Media Statement January 11, 2016
Canada needs an immediate moratorium on shipping diluted bitumen in coastal B.C. waters
For immediate release

Victoria B.C. – In light of the provincial government’s final submission to the Trans Mountain National Energy Board (NEB) hearings that described BC’s spill response capacities as insufficient, Andrew Weaver, MLA for Oak Bay – Gordon Head and Leader of the B.C. Green Party, is calling on the provincial and federal governments to establish a moratorium on the transport of diluted bitumen (dilbit) along our coast.

While encouraged to see the provincial government finally agreeing our coastline is unprepared to deal with a major dilbit spill, he notes that it is inconsistent with their continued approval of the bitumen-filled tankers that travel through our marine environment – currently at the average rate of one per week.

“The BC government is admitting one thing and allowing another,” says Andrew Weaver. “In 2013 I added a 6th condition – a complete ban on the shipment of dilbit along our coast – to the province’s five approval criteria. With a dangerously low ability to deal with spills and limited scientific understanding of how dilbit will interact with BC’s waters, that 6th condition is overdue and essential.”

Trans Mountain based their entire analysis of the fate and behaviour of (dilbit) in the marine environment on the faulty assumption that dilbit floats. Published evidence, together with a Federal government study, and assessment reports from both the Royal Society of Canada’s Expert Panel on The Behaviour and Environmental Impacts of Crude Oil Released into Aqueous Environments as well as the US National Academy of Sciences Committee on the Effects of Diluted Bitumen on the Environment, all of which Andrew submitted as evidence to the NEB, clearly conclude otherwise.

In its final submission to the NEB hearings the provincial government noted that Trans Mountain had not provided adequate information on spill prevention and response, therefore not meeting a key component of the provincial five conditions required for approval of heavy oil pipelines. However the government said they will continue to evaluate the project.

“The B.C. Government submission emphasizes what I and other intervenors have been saying throughout the hearing process. There simply is not an adequate response in place now, nor likely in the future, to deal with a diluted bitumen spill.” says Andrew Weaver, “I am calling on the Federal Government to halt all current shipments of dilbit. The risk is simply too high.”

Andrew Weaver’s final argument in the Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion Hearing Process, submitted Friday January 8th​, cited “substantive deficiencies” in Trans Mountain’s application and detailed their inability to provide adequate responses to intervenor’s questions. Because of these concerns, and the NEB’s failure to include cumulative upstream and downstream effects on  climate, Andrew Weaver has urged the NEB to reject their application.

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Media Contact
Mat Wright
– Press Secretary, Andrew Weaver MLA
1 250 216 3382
mat.wright@leg.bc.ca