Damian Kettlewell, B.C. Green Party leadership candidate, will kick off his provincial leadership tour with a stop in Squamish on Sunday (Aug. 26). Kettlewell will be at city hall at 11 a.m. to make a provincial energy policy announcement based on recent events in Squamish, according to a press release. He'll follow the announcement with an informal luncheon from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Howe Sound Brew Pub meant to give residents an opportunity to meet the leadership candidate.
Although leadership campaign manager Devon Rowcliffe declined to reveal the subject Kettlewell intends to address during his announcement, it may be related to the Green Party's statement on Wednesday (Aug. 22) demanding a $30-million automatic fine for oil spills.
"In the wake of another disastrous oil spill in British Columbia, the Green Party of BC today called for an automatic fine of $30 million - $15 million from the offending corporation and $15 million from the federal government - to be paid directly to those municipalities affected by oil spills," read the statement.
The statement referred to the oil spill of 2006 that occurred when a ship's hull was punctured at Squamish Terminals causing huge quantities of oil to spill into the Howe Sound.
In the past month, British Columbians have suffered two more oil spills, the first in Burnaby on July 24, when an underground pipeline was ruptured by city workers, and the latest this week in Howe Sound north of Vancouver when a cargo ship hit a pier and burst its fuel tank. An estimated 50 tons of oil spilled into the water, covering windsurfers, wildlife and the shoreline for hundreds of miles.
"The Green Party believes both the offending company and the federal government must be held accountable for such oil spills, which can cause irreparable damage to the environment," states the release.
"There is a moratorium on oil tankers in B.C.'s waters but the federal government refuses to enforce this.""It's time the punishment fit the crime for these devastating oil spills," added party leader Christopher Bennett. "When the federal government is also held accountable for refusing to take care of our waters and land, something might finally be done."
Kettlewell will be in Squamish to announce why he is running for the B.C. Green Party leadership, and the new direction he wants to steer the party.
The party will choose its new leader on Sunday, October 21, in Victoria.
Kettlewell operates a business in Burnaby, and chairs the Rivershed Society of B.C. and B.C. EcoEvents.He has an MBA in Leadership, and an Applied Science degree in Economics and Communications from Simon Fraser University.He grew up in Vancouver and makes his home in Kits Point.
