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Ipsos Reid Poll: 3 out of 4 British Columbians Support Oil Tanker Ban

A new Ipsos Reid poll, released today, confirms that three out of four British Columbians support a ban on oil tankers in BC’s inside coastal waters. The poll of 800 British Columbians, commissioned by Dogwood Initiative with the support of numerous conservation organizations, reinforces a Mustel Group poll conducted in January. Both found that 75 per cent of British Columbians oppose tankers in northern inside waters.

A new Ipsos Reid poll, released today, confirms that three out of four British Columbians support a ban on oil tankers in BC’s inside coastal waters. The poll of 800 British Columbians, commissioned by Dogwood Initiative with the support of numerous conservation organizations, reinforces a Mustel Group poll conducted in January. Both found that 75 per cent of British Columbians oppose tankers in northern inside waters.

“It is clear that British Columbians do not want oil tankers in our northern coastal waters,” said Will Horter, lawyer and Dogwood Initiative’s Executive Director. “Yet, our federal and provincial politicians continue to promote projects that would bring oil tankers in BC’s fragile inside coastal waters.”

A moratorium on oil and gas activities including tanker traffic has protected BC’s coast since 1972. Recently the moratorium has been challenged by the BC government, and by four oil and gas companies proposing projects that would bring tankers into Kitimat to ship petroleum products to and from Asia and the U.S. (see backgrounder).

“No part of our northern coast will be safe if tankers carrying oil and gas are allowed through these waters, said Sabine Jessen of CPAWS. “The moratorium on tanker traffic was put in place for a reason. British Columbians do not want to risk their coastlines and the economic future of coastal communities for only a few jobs.”

The Ipsos Reid poll shows support for a tanker ban is highest outside the lower mainland, with 8 in 10 British Columbian living outside the greater Vancouver area opposing tankers in BC’s inside passage.

When respondents were told that the recent BC ferry sinking occurred on the same route tankers would use to carry oil and gas to and from US and Asian markets, support for the ban increased significantly. Forty-one percent of British Columbians polled said that knowing this fact increased their support for a ban.

“The tragic ferry accident, and the inability to stop the diesel spill that continues today, shows that oil tankers in northern coastal waters are a disaster waiting to happen,” says Oonagh O’Connor of Living Oceans Society. “Politicians need to listen to British Columbians and support the continued ban on tanker traffic and oil and gas development activities on BC’s coast.”

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