SkeenaWild, a leading conservation organization dedicated to protecting wild salmon in northwest B.C., has voiced strong opposition to the federal government’s proposal to grant Alberta an exemption to the Oil Tanker Moratorium Act and pave the way for a new oil pipeline to the North Coast.
Julia Hill, SkeenaWild’s executive director, emphasized the region’s longstanding resistance to oil-related risks. She highlighted how opposition to Enbridge’s Northern Gateway project previously brought together First Nations, conservation groups, fishers, and local governments, and said the response to this new proposal will be similarly united.
The Oil Tanker Moratorium Act, passed in 2019, prohibits tankers carrying persistent petroleum products, including diluted bitumen, from loading or unloading at ports along the North Coast. Hill described the federal government’s plan to bypass this law as a betrayal of local communities, undermining a region that values healthy ecosystems and sustainable livelihoods.
Hill stressed that people in northwest B.C. want a positive vision for the future, one that prioritizes wild salmon, vibrant communities, and long-term jobs, rather than crude oil. She reiterated SkeenaWild’s commitment to defending wild salmon and supporting Coastal First Nations in opposing any project that threatens the North Coast’s environment.
Comments