Tuesday, October 29, 2013

The Disappearing Of Public Sessions On Kinder Morgan's Pipeline Expansion Proposal...What Is The National Energy Board Afraid Of?

Democracy?
WeDon'tNeedNoStinkingDemocracy!Ville


Turns out that an NEB spokesthingy says that the board is, instead, going to hold 'on-line' sessions to ensure that the citizenry will have more opportunity to raise issues and ask questions.

Jennifer Moreau has the story in the Burnaby Now. Here is her lede:

There has been a change of plans for Burnaby residents who were hoping to attend an information session on the National Energy Board’s hearing process.

With Kinder Morgan’s pipeline expansion proposal on the horizon, the federal agency was planning to host a single info session in Burnaby. On Tuesday, the board announced it will now host a series of info sessions online instead.

Sarah Kiley, a National Energy Board spokesperson, explained that the change was made in case members of the public weren’t available for an in-person information session.

“We are looking at doing three or four online information sessions, (with) the exact same information. Reny (Chakkalakal, a process advisor with the board,) will be hosting them, so the same person who would be hosting a face-to-face public information session, just offering different options to people – different times different dates – and you can do it from your own home,” Kiley said...


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So.

Based on their own 'statement', it would appear that the NEB is using the fact that it only scheduled one public session on the pipeline as an excuse for holding  no public sessions.

Hmmmm....

Given all that, the following is a question that I have for the good Mr. Chakkalakal (and not the spokesthingy - I refuse to listen to answers from people who are NOT making the decisions/running the show)...

Why, specifically, did you not just schedule multiple public sessions instead?



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Personally, I will never forget how the government of Gordon Campbell disappeared public hearings and, in my opinion, facilitated a subversion of the democratic process when KM first moved into British Columbia...


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6 comments:

chuckstraight said...

They are afraid of the public.

RossK said...

chuck--

Agreed.

And/or the media attention a public outcry can bring.

The other issue here, from a 'control' the citizenry point of view, is that by holding such things online you isolate people from each other.

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Jennifer Moreau said...

One thing I didn't put in the story, but perhaps should have included: I asked why not keep public session and hold additional online sessions if people can't make it in person, and she said their staff would be on the road all month if they were going to do that, because they are holding info session all up and down the pipeline route.

RossK said...

Thanks Jennifer--

Very much appreciate that you asked the critical follow-up.

In my opinion this is even worse - essentially their response is that they don't want to do their job.

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off-the-radar said...

thanks Ross for posting and Jennifer too!

online "consulting": camoflauge for doing whatever the hell government wants.

Anonymous said...

I knew Reny Chakkalakal years ago and she's a Ms. not a Mr.
A really wonderful person, I have no idea why she would be doing this awful job. You are right to feel shafted.