Dear friends and colleagues,

 

We, the undersigned natural and social scientists, are writing to invite you to consider being a signatory on a letter to Prime Minister Harper. The letter calls for PM Harper to reject the Joint Review Panel (JRP) report on the Northern Gateway Pipeline (NGP). The Prime Minister’s office is expected to announce a decision on the NGP imminently (within weeks), so the timing is critical. To ensure that we precede the federal decision, the sign-on letter will close on May 23.

 

The letter begins as follows below. In short, we are stating that the JRP report is flawed in five important ways, such that it is insufficient as basis for a federal decision. Note that we are not calling for the PM to reject the NGP; we are restricting our critique to the evidentiary basis for such a decision in the JRP report.

 

The questions surrounding natural resource development and transportation are complex and multifaceted, involving economic, ecological and social considerations. We find the report flawed in a diversity of these dimensions. While, none of us alone can speak to all of these flaws, we can collectively assess and address specific issues given our areas of expertise. In an effort to communicate a clear and succinct message, the letter details five fundamental flaws among many.

 

You can sign onto the letter at: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/scientists-reject-northern-gateway-jrp-report

 

The pdf of the full letter can be downloaded at: http://www.Chanslab.ires.ubc.ca/?attachment_id=2611   

 

Sincerely,

Kai MA Chan, Associate Professor, University of British Columbia

Anne Salomon, Assistant Professor, Simon Fraser University

Eric B Taylor, Professor, University of British Columbia

Together with:

Elena Bennett, Professor, McGill University

James M Byrne,Professor, University of Lethbridge

Michael Barkusky, Founding Director, Pacific Institute for Ecological Economics

Suzanne Bayley, Emeritus Professor, University of Alberta

Ratana Chuenpagdee, Professor, Memorial University

Simon Donner, Associate Professor, University of British Columbia

Edward Gregr, Professional Biologist / Recovery Plan Author, University of British Columbia

Eric Higgs, Professor, University of Victoria

George Hoberg, Professor, University of British Columbia

Kathryn Harrison, Professor, University of British Columbia

Don Jackson, Professor, University of Toronto

Mark Jaccard, Professor, Simon Fraser University

Jeremy Kerr, Professor, University of Ottawa

Ken Lertzman, Professor, Simon Fraser University

Sarah Otto, Professor, University of British Columbia

Evgeny Pakhomov, Professor, University of British Columbia

Paul Paquet, Assistant Professor, University of Victoria

Wendy Palen, Assistant Professor, Simon Fraser University

David Schindler, Professor, University of Alberta

Douw Steyn, Professor, University of British Columbia

Boris Worm, Professor, Dalhousie University