Moratoria on Offshore Oil and Gas Development 

There are three moratoria in place to prevent oil drilling off the B.C. coast. The provincial government passed a moratorium in 1959. The federal government followed with its own moratorium in 1972. We also have a First Nations suspension on offshore oil and gas development.

The BC government strongly support offshore oil and gas drilling and is lobbying the federal government to lift its moratorium. Without the federal moratorium, the entire BC coast would be open to offshore oil and gas development. Some potential sites are near Vancouver close to the mouth of the Fraser River, North America’s largest salmon producing river.

The proposed oil and gas extraction is relatively close to shore, and prevailing wind and current patterns would spread any contaminants along the coast, devastating industries like fishing and tourism. The federal moratorium is the only effective way to protect BC’s coastline, communities and wildlife from devastating oil spills.