Why is there a moratorium on oil drilling off the BC north coast?

[blackbird]

The BC NDP has driven the province into a deep deficit.  The expected BC deficit for the 2025-2026 fiscal years is 11.6 billion dollars.

Yet the BC NDP opposes oil pipelines and oil drilling.

This article says there is billions of dollars worth of oil under the sea off the BC north coast that is not being developed.   Why is Newfoundland drilling for oil in the Atlantic ocean, but B.C. does not off the west coast? 

This news article from Oct. 23, 2012.

"

A high-profile conservative think tank says B.C. could make billions of dollars if the ban on oil exploration off the province’s coast was lifted.

The Fraser institute issued a report Monday, calling for a suspension of the 40-year-old federal moratorium on West Coast offshore drilling.

The report says that big rigs like those off Newfoundland and Labrador could bring in $9.6 billion for B.C. over the next 25 years.

"Because we waited, we're in the enviable position that we can learn from successful regulatory regimes, like the one in Newfoundland, the United Kingdom," said Joel Wood, a Fraser Institute Senior Research Economist.

The Geological Survey of Canada estimates there are enormous reserves below Hecate Strait and Queen Charlotte Sound off B.C.’s north coast, the report said.

The report acknowledges that offshore drilling comes with huge environmental risks.

Spill reverses financial outcome

If there was a major spill, like the BP oil well blowout in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010, the financial result reverses and becomes a loss of nearly $9 billion.

However, the Fraser Institute report says that outcome is unlikely, given the track record of offshore rigs in other jurisdictions.

"The benefits outweigh the costs," Wood said. "And a majority of the benefits flow to the provincial and federal government."

The federal moratorium is not written into law, but has been federal policy since 1972.

The Fraser Institute says if the West Coast was opened to oil drilling a major spill would be unlikely. (Getty Images)

A decade ago, the B.C. Liberal government was asking Ottawa to lift the ban, but not anymore.

The current government of Premier Christy Clark says her government isn't pushing for any offshore oil exploration, despite a call by one of her MLA’s to revisit the idea.

Nechako Lakes Liberal MLA John Rustad recently posted an argument on Facebook in favour of offshore oil extraction, saying it was the only way B.C. would get out of debt.

Some environmentalists think those calling for an end to the moratorium have underestimated both the chances of a major spill and its real costs.

"There's also no attempt in this report to value things like a healthy population of wild whales or the diversity of life that exists in the Queen Charlotte [and] Hecate Strait area," said Karen Wristen, of the Living Oceans Society.

Any decision to open up the West Coast to oil exploration is likely to be very controversial in B.C. On Monday thousands marched on the B.C. legislature to protest plans to build the Northern Gateway Pipeline from Alberta to the West Coast, because of widespread concerns about the risk of an oil spill.

Organizers say more protests are planned around the province on Wednesday.   unquote

Offshore oil worth $9.6B to B.C. says Fraser Institute | CBC News

This is another resource that could create jobs and revenue for BC and Canada if it were pursued.  But sadly as Canada sinks further into debt, it is intent on shooting itself in the foot.

Unfortunately, the BC NDP is strongly influenced by a relatively small number of environmentalists who are backed by powerful and influential environmental organizations and U.S. billionaire environmentalist money.  Even some hollywood movie stars have fought against some resource development in Canada.  After all, parts of Canada are used for the rich elite to vacation and fish.   Also influenced by FNs activists.  But the main obstacle is the leftist BC NDP and now leftist federal liberals who are busy fighting climate change and could care less about debt as we've seen.

The following article gives a clue where some of the foreign money originates from to fund environmental organizations.   Besides opposing the energy industry, they also oppose logging under the pretext they are fighting to save old growth forests.

10 Billionaires Stepping Up to Fight Climate Change

Edited November 22, 2025 by blackbird

[John Stone]

re: Unfortunately, the BC NDP is strongly influenced by a relatively small number of environmentalists who are backed by powerful and influential environmental organizations and U.S. billionaire environmentalist money.

Until a short time ago Canada had the ability to make moral  judgements re: the environment, trading partners, humanitarian concerns..... the list goes on. 

However, that was then, reality is now and a family  can't eat ideology. 

[blackbird]

1 hour ago, John Stone said:

a family  can't eat ideology. 

Exactly, and B.C. has I think the highest percentage of tree huggers, street people living in tents, NDPers, and ordinary families that will never be able to afford a home.  I think Vancouver and Victoria are the most expensive cities to live in North America.  We badly need good-paying jobs and industries in the resource sector.  The Trump tariffs are killing many jobs in the forestry industry in the interior.  We need action, not government blocking every potential resource industry.

[eyeball]

2 minutes ago, blackbird said:

We need action, not government blocking every potential resource industry.

Sounds like you just need to get rid of all the tree huggers and lefties.

How hard can it be?

[blackbird]

1 minute ago, eyeball said:

Sounds like you just need to get rid of all the tree huggers and lefties.

How hard can it be?

Put them in forced labour camps up north and make them support themselves.

[eyeball]

Just now, blackbird said:

Put them in forced labour camps up north and make them support themselves.

Let us know how that works out. For sure there'll be blood.

[WestCanMan]

9 minutes ago, eyeball said:

Sounds like you just need to get rid of all the tree huggers and lefties.

How hard can it be?

We don't need to get rid of them. We don't even need to prevent them speaking. We just need to give their ideas the amount of attention they're due, and I truly mean that.

It's not like everything that they say is worthless and stupid, some of it actually has merit, and we all agree that we need to be careful custodians of our environment.

We just need to allow facts to enter the conversation, and that's where the communication breakdown between climatards/envirotards and sensible Canadians occurs.

 

The funny thing about these "my body, my choice" left4rds is that they'll chain themselves to a tree to save it from the axe, but then they will fight to get a pregnant woman injected with a dangerous and ineffective pseudovaccine that she doesn't even need. 

[TreeBeard]

I think fishermen and others who make their living from a healthy ocean are against this too.  Why should their livelihood be sacrificed for oil company profits? 

[eyeball]

5 minutes ago, WestCanMan said:

We just need to allow facts to enter the conversation, and that's where the communication breakdown between climatards/envirotards and sensible Canadians occurs.

It's clearly an irreconcilable breakdown though. Listening to what people like you have to say apparently isn't even worth considering to a majority of Canadians.

A majority of Canadians oppose further development of fossil fuels, with some polls indicating around two-thirds favor developing clean energy instead and over half want governments to phase out fossil fuels.

It sure looks to me like you people will have to use violence and force to get your way.

[herbie]

The ban on poermits was put in place in 1972. In the 53 years since the NDP was in power 17 and no govt reversed it. The last permit expired in 2024.
No one reversed it. No one went drilling.
Gee, whiz. perhaps that means the people supported the ban..

So these people who are so anti-woke they've been asleep since 1953 are complaining there's not MORE oil production. As if they're living on dividends from their $1M worth of Chevron shares.
Dupes of the reigning Empress of Alberta, Ms. Notwithstanding herself who just indicated increased oil exports simply aren't good enough, a northern terminal must be imposed on BCers through sheer force of will.
A plat form policy of the modern 'conservative' mind, that nothing can truly be gained unless someone else gets f*cked over.