Poll finds opposition to gas ‘fracking’

The majority of Canadians oppose hydraulic fracturing — better known as “fracking” — and would support a moratorium on the natural gas extraction method, according to a new poll.

The Environics Research poll, commissioned by the Council of Canadians, found that 62 per cent of the Canadians polled supported a moratorium on all fracking for natural gas until all federal environmental reviews are complete.

British Columbia residents were most likely to support a fracking moratorium, at 67 per cent. B.C. was followed by Atlantic Canada, where 66 per of those polled supported a moratorium, and then Ontario (65 per cent), Manitoba/saskatchewan (64 per cent), Alberta (57 per cent) and Quebec (55 per cent).

“The poll results send a strong message that Canadians are really wanting the federal government to put in place a moratorium until the reviews are complete, and so we’re hoping that the federal government will take up the call,” said Emma Lui, the water campaigner for the Council of Canadians.

“One of the biggest concerns are the impacts on water sources, in terms of potential contamination and the amount of water that’s used for fracking, but there’s also greenhouse gases and then impacts on public health. …”

Twenty-eight per cent of Canadians opposed the imposition of a moratorium on fracking. Opposition was strongest in Quebec (36 per cent), where the practice has already been halted.

The energy industry’s method of extracting shale gas sees a mix of water, sand and chemicals pumped into wells to break apart shale rock formations, freeing gas to rise to the surface.

Critics have connected the practice to groundwater contamination, earthquakes and soil contamination.

The Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers maintains that the practice can be done safely and reliably, and released a new set of fracking guidelines in late January. Those guidelines include baseline groundwater testing, using the least environmentally harmful products and ensuring proper wellbore construction.

There is currently no federal legislation on fracking, and regulations on water and drilling permits vary from province to province.

Last September, the federal government said it was launching two separate reviews on the process.

The Environics Research survey was conducted by telephone interviews during the period of Jan. 5-15, 2012. The survey used a national random sample of 2,000 adults age 18 and over, living in Canada, split evenly between males and females. The margin of error is plus or minus 2.19 per cent, 19 times out of 20