A crowd of a couple hundred gathered at the Lily Lake Pavillion to hear from fishers, environmentalists, and journalists on the risks associated with the Energy East Pipeline, including what some charge are the disasterous health effects of chemicals used to clean up oil spills, and what would happen if a spill were to occur close to home in Port Saint John.
Authour and environmentalist Maude Barlow was among the panelists and she tells CHSJ News we’ve been fed lies about the social impact of the pipeline.
“People who say, ‘well, it will bring our boys home from Alberta,’ that’s not true, because if this pipeline goes through it will mean a 40% increase in Alberta tarsands production. It will mean more of their husbands and sons going to work in the Alberta tarsands.”
According to Maria Recchia with the North Fundy Fisherman’s Association, an oil spill in the Saint John Harbour would spread on the currents as far as Nova Scotia and Maine, and if the heavy oil sinks it would wipe out lobster and scallop populations.
In the meantime, TransCanada plans to file its application for federal approval for the project with the National Energy Board today.
The company will hold simultaneous news conferences in Toronto and Québec City to provide an update on the project and discuss the application.
TransCanada is already hosting an information session in Saint John tonight at Exhibition park between 4 and 8pm.
