Group launches anti-pipeline ads on anniversary of Alaskan oil spill

VANCOUVER – A B.C. First Nations group is launching an anti-pipeline commercial to mark the 24th anniversary of one of the worst oil spills in history.

Art Sterritt with Coastal First Nations says the catastrophic Exxon Valdez spill in Alaska over two decades ago is proof that massive oil tankers don’t belong in B.C. waters because the state is still trying to clean up.

Sterritt is launching a TV and social media campaign to air on networks along the proposed pipeline route to warn the public about the potential threat to B.C.’s environment.

He says a spill like the Exxon Valdez disaster would cost taxpayers approximately $21.4 billion to clean up and destroy thousands of jobs in the fishing and tourism industries.

Enbridge, the company behind Northern Gateway, has launched a multi-million dollar ad campaign of its own in support of the pipeline.