90% of council candidates willing to oppose Energy East? That’s surprising.

Hi Ottawa residents,
 
In the lead-up to the municipal election, we asked every candidate their views on the proposed Energy East pipeline. Their responses were surprising.

While we have a number of concerns about the pipeline, and the risks it presents to Ottawa’s watersheds and ecology, as well as to the concerns of the pipeline’s links to global warming, we didn’t expect so many candidates for city council to share our concerns.

Nearly 90% of candidates who responded stated they would be willing to oppose the pipeline if it was shown to be damaging to our health and environment. Another 80% want the City of Ottawa to conduct an environmental assessment into the project, while another 75% want the city to intervene at the National Energy Board.

This is great news. We have many candidates who are willing to challenge the biggest proposed tar sands pipeline ever.

Across the country, municipal leaders from Vancouver to Burnaby to North Bay to Montreal have all raised red flags about proposals for tar sands pipelines slated for their communities. We need our elected officials to do the same and raise our concerns on our behalf.

Click here to see the report, and see what the candidates in your ward had to say about the proposed pipeline.

We’d also appreciate it if you shared this news with your friends on Facebook or Twitter.

With only one week away from the municipal election, we’re doing everything we can to encourage residents across the city to vote green. Please take a look at our other election reports, or see how your candidates responded to all our questions, ward-by-ward.

Working together, we’re well on our way to keeping Ottawa free of toxic tar sands crude. Thank you for your support as we continue to protect our city.

Yours,
Graham Saul
Executive Director
Ecology Ottawa

P.S. Wondering what to invest in instead of tar sands pipelines? The Ottawa Renewable Energy Co-op is hosting Reducing the Risk of Climate Change on Your Portfolio - Investing for a Sustainable Future featuring speakers from RBC, Sustainable Prosperity and Ceres. More info here or RSVP here.