News
Prairie Artists Against Enbridge
Jan 27, 2011, Prairie Artists Against Enbridge (Read article on originating site site)
Prairie Artists Against Enbridge includes some of Canada’s finest bands and cultural workers, a governor general’s award-winning novelist, and a former Winnipeg Blue Bomber. They all attached their names to a letter, delivered today to the National Arts Centre, protesting Enbridge Pipeline’s sponsorship of its upcoming Prairie Scene! Festival to be held in Ottawa from April 6th to May 8th, 2011. The letter is endorsed by such notable NGO’s as the Indigenous Environmental Network, Sierra Club Prairie, the Rainforest Action Network, Dogwood Initiative, Corporate Ethics International and the Polaris Institute.
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The letter:
January 25th, 2011
Mr. Christopher Dearlove/ Ms. Rosemary Thompson
National Arts Centre
P.O. Box 1534, Stn B
Ottawa, Ontario
Canada
K1P 5W1
“Art gives people a language by which they can understand themselves and their society…and the coporate power structure is determined to make sure artists speak in a language that does not threaten their entitlement.”
-Chris Hedges, Pulitzer Prize Winning Author
Dear Mr. Dearlove and Ms. Thompson,
We, the undersigned artists, musicians and performers of Manitoba and Saskatchewan respectfully request that the National Arts Centre reconsider its decision to partner with Enbridge Pipelines as a Prairie Scene! festival sponsor.
As Canada’s foremost showcase for the performing arts, the National Arts Centre should choose sponsors that help to promote its values as an innovator in community programming. Partnering with Enbridge Pipelines tarnishes that image with the company’s disastrous environmental record.
On July 26 2010, an Enbridge pipeline ruptured from unknown causes, gushing tar sands oil into a nearby creek for several hours before Enbridge contacted state authorities and shut off the flow. The EPA reports 1 million gallons of this dirty oil fouled more than 24 miles of Michigan’s Kalamazoo River, posing a threat to nearby Lake Michigan. Cleanup crews are still working hard to save Canada geese, muskrats, and other wildlife poisoned by the spill. The preventable disaster may be the worst oil spill in U.S. Midwest history.
Despite the spill, Enbridge Piplelines is still pushing for approval of a new 1,200 km pipeline to carry tar sands crude from Edmonton, Alberta to Kitimat, BC. The project, opposed by a wide coalition of aboriginal communities and businesses located along the pipeline corridor, would put Canada’s most sensitive wild salmon rivers at risk.
By associating with Enbridge, The National Arts Centre associates itself with the company’s irresponsible corporate behavior. For the sake of the Centre’s good reputation and for the sake of our environment, we urge you to reconsider partnering with Enbridge as a 2011 Prairie Scene! Festival Sponsor.
Thank you,
Prairie Artists Against Enbridge:
Mike Alexander — Musician
Brad Bellegard — Musician
Rob Bos — Artist
Craig Boychuk — Musician/Producer
Burnthe8track — Band
Susie Burpee — Choreographer/Dancer
Comeback Kid — Band
Shawna Dempsey and Lorri Milan — Performance Artists
Christine Fellows — Musician
Danny Fernandez — Musician
Eric Galbraith — Musician
Noam Gonick — Filmmaker
Dagan Harding — Musician
Head Hits Concrete – Band
Derek Hogue — Designer
Reghan Hincliffe — Musician
Charley Justice – Musician
Jonak Krieser — Musician
Pimpton — Musician
Greg Macpherson — Musician
Mama Cutsworth — DJ
Chris Merk — Musician
Robb Morrison — Sound Engineer/Producer
The Paperbacks — Band
Joel Passmore — Musician
Pip Skid — Musician
Propagandhi — Band
Riva Racette — Musician
Andrea Roberts — Musician
Wolbachia – Band
Thomas Roussin — Musician
Deborah Schnitzer — Writer/Educator
Kerri Senkow — Musician
Leo Sepulveda — Musician
Ramiro Sepulveda — Musician
Brad Skibinsky — Musician
Miriam Toews — Novelist
Molten Lava – Band
Volcanoeless in Canada — Band
The Weakerthans — Band
Ila Wenus — Musician
Troy Westwood — Musician/Athlete
This petition is endorsed by the Indigenous Environmental Network, Sierra Club Prairie, the Rainforest Action Network, Dogwood Initiative, Corporate Ethics International and the Polaris Institute.