Island group calls for donations to support court action against offshore oil

A P.E.I. organization is encouraging Island residents to make donations in support of a court action that could lead to greater protection for the Gulf of St. Lawrence from unlawful oil exploration.

Five environmental groups, represented by Ecojustice, filed a lawsuit against the Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board (CNLOPB) on May 15. The groups include the Sierra Club Canada Foundation, the David Suzuki Foundation, the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, Attention Fragiles and Nature Québec.

Save Our Seas and Shores P.E.I. is supporting the groups in their efforts and is encouraging this province’s residents to do the same.

The case stems from an oil exploration licence for Corridor Resources, which was first issued in 2008 with a nine-year cap prohibiting further extensions. The licence was set to expire in January, but the CNLOPB replaced Corridor’s licence on Jan. 15.

Colin Jeffrey of Save Our Seas and Shores says the drill site, located halfway between the Magdalen Islands and Newfoundland and Labrador, has the potential to put ecosystems in harm’s way.

“Corridor’s drill site is positioned in deeper water than where the Deep Water Horizon disaster occurred in the Gulf of Mexico and is in the middle of a busy shipping lane,” said Jeffrey. “This compounds the risk of offshore drilling in the fragile Gulf of Saint Lawrence, Canada’s most biodiverse marine area and home to more than 4,000 species.”

The case is being heard in the Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador. For information on how to donate, visit: https://www.facebook. com/SOSSPEI/, www.ecojustice.ca or www.sierraclub.ca.