Prairie Artists Against Enbridge
Hello friends and neighbours. Please pass this on to anyone who you think might be interested:
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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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 corporate 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.