Ongoing
We must say NO to Bay du Nord!
The campaign
On April 6, 2022, the federal government gave the green light to Bay du Nord, a mega oil development project near Newfoundland and Labrador.
This decision shows that, unfortunately, the federal government is still lacking in seriousness, ambition and consistency in its commitments to tackle climate change. The Bay du Nord project should never have received ministerial approval. It is incompatible with our GHG emissions reduction goals and puts our environment and our health at risk.
Bay du Nord is a deepwater oil and gas project that would threaten our marine ecosystems and our climate goals. 90% of the project's GHG emissions will occur after production. The approval of the project goes against Canada's international obligations and the urgent call for global emissions reductions. Considering all the long-term impacts, Équiterre is taking further action.
Équiterre has also supported actions in Norway, where the project’s developer, Equinor is based. For Equinor’s AGM, messages from Canadians opposing Bay du Nord were projected onto the building where the meeting was taking place. There was also a print ad in the local newspaper.
Exactly a month after the project’s approval, on May 6, 2022, Équiterre and the Sierra Club Canada Foundation, represented by Ecojustice, decided to sue the federal Minister of the Environment, Steven Guilbeault, by filing an application for judicial review with the Federal Court. This involves a review of Minister Guilbault's decision to approve the Bay du Nord project.
Take action!
Past actions
Step 1
Send an email to Cabinet
This action is now closed. Thanks to your action, our federal ministers received almost 3450 emails asking them to stop Bay du Nord.
Step 2
Send a fax to Cabinet
April Fool's Special. This flash action is already over. Thank you to everyone who participated
What is the Bay du Nord project?
Bay du Nord is a mega offshore oil project (by the Norwegian company Equinor) that could be built off the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador, if we do not stop it.
Why target the Environment Minister?
The Minister had the power to reject this project and the government has a duty to create the winning conditions for a just transition so that communities in Newfoundland and Labrador and across the country can build a more prosperous and healthier future.
Giving the green light to Bay du Nord will delay the transition and lock economic development in Newfoundland and Labrador communities into fossil fuel development. The decision ignores the warnings of scientists and is inconsistent with our domestic and international obligations and our moral duty to present and future generations.
In addition, Minister Guilbeault insists that Bay du Nord will have to meet 137 conditions, including a condition that the project will produce zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. This target does not take into account the massive greenhouse gas emissions that the project will generate downstream - all the pollution that will be caused after extraction (which generates 90% of the polluting emissions). Furthermore, some of the conditions mentioned by the Minister were in fact preconditions for the decision to be made.
Can we really stop the Bay du Nord project?
Absolutely! We've chosen to go the way of the courts, but there are other ways to take action. Our government and our elected officials are sensitive to the opinion of their voters. Your actions make a real difference: every email, every call, every mention on social media is part of a larger movement to challenge our leaders.
The environmental movement managed to block other oil projects in Canada. Our tenacity and strength in numbers has made many victories possible.
If they don’t hear from you, they will hear from the oil lobby, which doesn’t hesitate to try to influence the government in order to increase its production and profits.
Make your voice heard.
To bust some myths about Bay du Nord:
Though the fossil industry and some politicians may say otherwise, Bay du Nord is absolutely not a solution to the energy challenges in Europe caused by the war in Ukraine.
If Bay du Nord goes forward, possible production would only start in six years, well after the deployment of renewable alternatives in Europe. European countries have already understood that to reduce their vulnerability, they must stop relying on hydrocarbons. They are therefore proposing to accelerate the energy transition rather than shift their fossil fuel supply.
The UN Secretary General has warned Western countries not to race to increase oil production, noting how it would jeopardize global climate targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and exacerbate global warming.
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Mobilization Manager, Équiterre
