Energy East

Thursday September 1, 2016

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator - Thursday September 1, 2016 Protests disrupt Energy East pipeline hearings in Montreal Protesters disrupted the first day of the National Energy Board hearings for the proposed Energy Eat pipeline in Montreal. Montreal mayor Denis Coderre was the first speaker but before he could start a protester charged at the commissioners. Security stopped him but others joined in and the NEB was forced to cancel MondayÕs hearing. ÊÒWeÕll keep in touch to see if we can come tomorrow but again I think the NEB, as I said last Friday, should rethink the way this thing is happeningÊright now,Ó says Coderre. Coderre is against the pipeline and believes the NEB commissioners may have been unfairly influenced. Others like those in New Brunswick, whose refining business would boom, are for the pipeline. Mount Royal University political scientist Duane Bratt says the pipeline will likely go depending on whether your region is in or out of the oilÊbusiness. ÒSome people are saying look we support the pipeline just build it somewhere else. You also have groups who say we donÕt want any pipeline builtÊanywhere because we want to shut down the oil sands.Ó However, the hearings arenÕt political in nature, they are fact-finding because Parliament will make the ultimate decision. Mps will have to weigh the economic benefits of building and operating a 4,500 kilometre pipeline funneling domestic crude to domestic refineriesÊrather than buying and selling oil to and from foreigners and if itÕs worth the environmental risk. (CTV News)Êhttp://calgary.ctvnews.ca/protests-disrupt-energy-east-pipeline-hearings-in-montreal-1.3049817 Canada, protest, anti, oil, sands, Alberta, Energy East, pipeline, train, sea, transport

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday September 1, 2016

Protests disrupt Energy East pipeline hearings in Montreal

Protesters disrupted the first day of the National Energy Board hearings for the proposed Energy Eat pipeline in Montreal.

Montreal mayor Denis Coderre was the first speaker but before he could start a protester charged at the commissioners.

Security stopped him but others joined in and the NEB was forced to cancel Monday’s hearing.

“We’ll keep in touch to see if we can come tomorrow but again I think the NEB, as I said last Friday, should rethink the way this thing is happening right now,” says Coderre.

Coderre is against the pipeline and believes the NEB commissioners may have been unfairly influenced.

Others like those in New Brunswick, whose refining business would boom, are for the pipeline.

Mount Royal University political scientist Duane Bratt says the pipeline will likely go depending on whether your region is in or out of the oil business.

“Some people are saying look we support the pipeline just build it somewhere else. You also have groups who say we don’t want any pipeline built anywhere because we want to shut down the oil sands.”

However, the hearings aren’t political in nature, they are fact-finding because Parliament will make the ultimate decision.

Mps will have to weigh the economic benefits of building and operating a 4,500 kilometre pipeline funneling domestic crude to domestic refineries rather than buying and selling oil to and from foreigners and if it’s worth the environmental risk. (CTV News)

L E T T E R S

Sept 9, 2016, Letter to the Editor (Hamilton Spectator) RE: Editorial cartoon (Sept. 1)

How about a sustainability cartoon?

In answer to MacKay’s cartoon last Thursday criticizing the no-sayers (no to pipelines, no to tar sands, etc.), here are some things I say yes to: a stable climate, a stable food supply, stable sea levels, clean air, clean water, renewable energy, a low-carbon economy.

Could we have a cartoon promoting these values instead? Most of which will not be achieved if we keep building pipelines.

Dave Carson, Dundas