A majority of British Columbians are against the increased tanker traffic that would result from the proposed Northern Gateway pipeline, according to a new poll, but could warm to the project if all the provincial government's conditions are met.
The telephone and online poll, conducted last month by Justason Market Intelligence on behalf of a number of environmental groups, found that 64 per cent of respondents either oppose or strongly oppose the use of oil supertankers in the inside passage, while only 29 per cent either somewhat or strongly support their use.
"When British Columbians actually get the facts about oil tanker and pipeline proposals, their opposition is overwhelming," Dogwood Initiative executive director Will Horder said. "Other polls in the past few months have only talked about pipelines with no mention of the crude oil supertankers that would inevitably come with them."
The Dogwood Initiative, ForestEthics Advocacy and West Coast Environmental Law were among the sponsors of the survey, which was conducted between Jan. 13 and 19. It surveyed 600 British Columbians and is considered accurate plus or minus four per cent, 19 times out of 20.
Despite many of the respondents expressing opposition to the increased use of tankers off the north coast, 20 per cent of respondents said they definitely believed that Northern Gateway would succeed in its goal to to complete the project and another 44 per cent said it would probably be built.
Northern Gateway is seeking to build dual heavy oil and condensate pipelines from northern Alberta to Kitimat. The diluted bitumen would then be exported on tankers and shipped to overseas markets.
In December, a federal Joint Review Panel recommended that the federal government allow the pipeline and tanker terminal project to proceed, pending the fulfillment of 209 conditions. The federal cabinet has not yet made a final decision on the project, but five different environmental and First Nations groups have filed judicial review requests on the Joint Review Panel's report.
"Residents of B.C. continue to withhold social license for the project, while multiple First Nations lawsuits threaten to derail it and the government of B.C. formally opposed the Enbridge project," West Coast Environmental Law Association spokeswoman Jessica Clogg said.
The poll also found that 51 per cent of people distrusted the Joint Review Panel process, but Northern Gateway spokesman Ivan Giesbrecht defended the evironmental assessment process.
"The Joint Review Panel was an inclusive, democratic process that many British Columbians - including the same environmental groups who issued this latest poll - personally participated in," Giesbrecht said.
He added that the survey results showing opposition to the project are at odds with what his company is hearing from British Columbians.
"People in this province - including many British Columbians like myself who work on this project - value our unique natural environment and want to protect it," he said. "That's why our goal has always been to build a safer, better pipeline to ensure our environment is protected for future generations. "
When asked if their opinions might change if the provincial government's five conditions are met, 49 per cent of those surveyed said they would be either a little or a lot more supportive, while 26 per cent said they would be a little or a lot less supportive.
To date, the province has said none of its five conditions, which deal with environmental, social and economic factors have been met.
Despite the fact that the poll was sponsored by groups opposed to the pipeline, when asked who they thought had funded the survey 34 per cent of people believed it was from a group in favour of the project and only 16 per cent were under the impression it was from a group opposed.
