news // 4

A song of yes’s and no's

» Summary of Northern Gateway pipeline’s approval thus far

Angela Espinoza

News Editor
Minews
= @theotherpress.ca
D espite intense public
opposition, Stephen Harper :

announced the Northern
Gateway pipeline was approved
on June 17. There’s been an
ensuing backlash throughout
BC, and both the Liberal and
NDP parties have stated they
wish to reverse the approval.

The project would likely
not begin until late 2015 at the
earliest, but that is only if BC’s
five conditions, along with
the 209 conditions laid out by
the National Energy Board,
are met. BC’s many aboriginal
communities have also come
together to take legal action
against the decision.

to potentially generate billions

from the fact that there will
undoubtedly be severe damage
to BC’s environment. Tankers
also have a notable history for
spills, and to put the pipeline
into operation would mean

: putting BC’s coastline at risk.

How the pipeline would

: work is that roughly 500,000
: barrels of bitumen (thick oil)
: would be shipped from the

: Alberta oil sands through

: Kitimat, BC daily. Kitimat

On June 26, the Supreme

: Court of Canada ruled that

: aboriginals in BC have title

: claims (and control) over the

: Tsilhqot’in Nation. This has

: come asa major victory for

: aboriginal communities, who
: are hoping this is the first of

: future land claim rulings. The
: ruling has also proven to bea
: potential threat to the pipeline’s :
While the pipeline proposes : construction, as the pipeline
: may no longer be able to run

for Canada, the opposition stems : through the area.

Former BC Attorney-

: General Geoff Plant told the :
: Globe and Mail, “The aboriginal :
: owners of those lands need to
: be included in the arrangements :
: because without their consent,
: it’s going to be very difficult to

: develop aboriginal title lands.

“If First Nations decide that

: they don’t want a certain type of
: economic development activity

: on their lands because they

: don’t want the impact from that
: activity, this case makes it pretty
: connects us to the Pacific Ocean, :
: as well as the Pacific Rim, where :
: ships can then head towards
: destinations further out, suchas :
: Asia. This directly places Kitimat :
: in one of the most dangerous
: areas for spills and leaks.

close to impossible to imagine a
situation where that activity will

: be permitted.”

Harper also recently
announced that

: environmentalist Elizabeth

: Dowdeswell was now

: Ontario's lieutenant-governor.
: Dowdeswell has been highly

: critical of the oil sands,

: providing research into the

: amount of damage the sands

: could cause to Alberta.

Between now and the 2015

federal election next October,
: there are likely to be more
: major changes regarding the

future of the pipeline. While

: its construction has been

: approved, many are skeptical

: that the pipeline will come to
: fruition. What’s certain is that
: there is likely more political

chaos to come as BC and the

: rest of Canada prepare for

what could or could not bea

: huge change economically and
: environmentally.

theotherpress.ca

British Columbia's Five Conditions
for the Northern Gateway Pipeline

 

1. Successful completion of the environmental review
process. In the case of NGP, that would mean a recom-
mendation by the National Energy Board Joint Review
Panel that the project can proceed.

2. World-leading marine oil spill response, prevention
and recovery systems for BC’s coastline and ocean to
manage and mitigate the risks and cost of heavy oil
pipelines and shipments.

3. World-leading practices for land oil-spill prevention,
response and recovery systems to manage and miti-
gate the risks and costs of heavy oil pipelines.

4. Legalrequirements regarding Aboriginal and treaty
rights are addressed, and First Nations are provided
with the opportunities, information and resources
necessary to participate in and benefit from a heavy
oil project.

5. British Columbia receives a fair share of the fiscal and
economic benefits of a proposed heavy oil project
that reflects the level and nature of the risk borne
by the province, the environment, and taxpayers.

More Info at http://www.gatewayfacts. ca/five-conditions

 

Happy hour prices make pubs sour

» Price changes benefit restaurants, not pubs

Angela Espinoza

News Editor
Mi news
z= @theotherpress.ca
| appy hour officially
started in BC on June 20,

introducing new pricing models
between 3-6 p.m. However,
depending on the quality

of some drinks, this pricing
actually results in their costs
going up.

Pricing for draught beer,
cider sleeves, pints, and for
bottled or canned beer, ciders,
and coolers starts at $0.25 per
ounce. Wines and fortified
wines, such as sake, will be
priced starting from $0.60 per
ounce. As for liqueurs and
spirits, their prices will start
from $3 per ounce.

Immediately this means
those purchasing pricier brands
will see those prices drop.
However, these price changes
appear to mostly benefit
establishments such as social
houses and restaurants—the
latter of which will mean
customers are not obligated to
buy food during happy hour.

: BC’s many pubs on the other

: hand are seeing their drink

: prices go up during happy hour,
: as they're accustomed to selling
: cheaper and local beer and

: draughts.

BC also has the highest

: minimum happy hour prices in
: Canada thus far. Vanicty Buzz

: pointed out that in Alberta and
: Saskatchewan, draught beer

: pricing starts at $0.16 per ounce,
: just over $0.16 in Ontario, and

: $0.18 in Manitoba. BC also has

: the highest prices for wines in

: Canada, yet one of the lowest

: liqueur prices.

According to Justice

: Minister Suzanne Anton, as

: reported by CBC, part of the

: decision to set the happy hour
: minimum prices in BC was

: based on the health and safety
: of customers in an attempt

: to prevent acts such as binge

: drinking.

Beer blogger and previous

: president of the Campaign for
: Real Ale Society Paddy Treavor
: told the Globe and Mail,

: “(Happy hour prices are] not a
: real reflection of the economy of :
: the entire province.

“Five dollars by Vancouver

: standards isa fairly reasonable

: price ... but this policy isn’t just

: for Vancouver. It isn’t just for the
: Cactus Clubs, Earls, and Boston

: Pizzas of the world. It’s for the

: entire province. You've got all

: these areas where $5 is quite a bit
: of money to spend ona beer.”

There was also concern with

: how the implementation of

: happy hour was delivered. The

: June 20 announcement was also
: the same day happy hours prices
: were to begin—something a

: number of establishments were

: not previously aware of. Sam

: Yehia, owner of Malone’s Urban
: Drinkery and the Cambiew, told
: the Globe and Mail that no bars
: orrestaurants had been notified
: of the price changes until the

: public announcement.

Additional liquor law

: changes included being able to
: carry one’s drink from one part
: of an establishment to the next
: (i.e. from a restaurant bar to

: the dining area). Family events
: that run on Special Occasion

: Licences can also now serve

: homemade beer, wines, and

ciders. Finally, farmers’ markets

: can now sell alcohol, including
: taste tests.

 

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