VANCOUVER | UNCEDED xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (MUSQUEAM), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (SQUAMISH) AND səlilwətaɬ (TSLEIL-WAUTUTH) TERRITORIES — A news release from the office of Energy and Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson says Chevron Canada gave up its 23 offshore oil and gas permits along the B.C. coast. These are the last of the 227 offshore oil and gas permits for these waters.

Statement from Jay Ritchlin, Director General, B.C. and Western Region, David Suzuki Foundation:

“We welcome this development for B.C.’s west coast and thank Coastal First Nations for their leadership in protecting marine biodiversity in the Great Bear Sea. Together with the federal government and conservation organizations, they managed to eliminate the threat of offshore oil and gas after decades of work and dedication. Thanks to these efforts, the threat to one of the most amazing marine and coastal ecosystems on Earth has been significantly reduced.

“Canada is now better able to meet its conservation commitments and support meaningful ocean protection. The removal of these permits means Canada can apply the minimum protection standards we’ve advocated for to the promised marine protected area network along B.C.’s north and central coast (Northern Shelf Bioregion Marine Protected Area Network and the Great Bear Sea Project Finance for Permanence). We must see action on those commitments immediately, as the time to meet nature protection targets for 2025 and 2030 is rapidly approaching.

“Given the massive emissions that extracting oil and gas from beneath the Pacific coast would have unleashed, the surrender of these leases is a win for the climate. No offshore drilling operations or any fossil fuel infrastructure should be expanded. This is supported by reports from the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the International Energy Agency and agreements at COP28. To meet climate targets, B.C. must also stop supporting liquefied natural gas projects in the province.”

– 30 –

From more information or a media interview, please contact:

Theresa Beer, tbeer@davidsuzuki.org, 778-874-3396