Canada's churches look into impact of oilsands projects
Last Updated: Sunday, May 17, 2009 | 1:08 PM MT
CBC News
Canada's church leaders will tour Alberta's oilsands for one week starting May 21. (AP Photo/Jeff McIntosh)Alberta's oilsands developments are coming under the scrutiny of church leaders from across the country.
Officials with Kairos, a multi-denominational social justice group, are heading to Fort McMurray to see the impact of development first-hand.
The delegation will spend a week in the region, starting May 21-27.
Church leaders say it's a fact-finding mission, on which they'll speak to a variety of groups with an interest in the oilsands, including the aboriginal community, environmentalists, politicians, the oil and gas industry and those working in the oilsands.
Sara Stratton, campaigns co-ordinator for the group, said getting involved in such a sensitive issue could prove to be controversial for the church.
"When you look at something as large as the oilsands…there are going to be people [in any one of our churches] who work in the industry as labour, who work in the industry as management, and [some] who very clearly oppose the industry," Stratton said.
"The full range of experience is going to be there within the churches themselves."
Looking at global impact
She said the churches have often taken an interest in moral and ethical issues.
"We've tended to look at these in the global picture. We look at what happens elsewhere in the world, [and] in the last couple of years we've really been pressed to say, 'What about what's happening here in Canada?'" she said.
"You know, we have this very large industrial activity in northern Alberta that brings tremendous wealth to the country, thousands of jobs, so let's look at it in its entirety."
The goal is to look at the pros and cons of the oilsands and to come away with a better understanding of the issues, Stratton said, and it's likely that some churches may take positions on how to move forward with oilsands development after the trip.
The delegation includes leaders from the Anglican Church of Canada, Mennonite Central Committee, Presbyterian Church of Canada, United Church of Canada, Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, among others.
