People all over the province woke up Monday morning to thousands of colourful “End Fracking” posters. They appeared on utility poles, bulletin boards and politicians’ offices. Volunteers unfurled dozens of hand-painted banners on highway overpasses and busy roads.

Close to 100 local teams took part in the day of action, supported by the new Frack Free BC alliance (of which Dogwood is a proud member). A huge thank you to all the volunteers across the province who stepped up to make this happen! You can see more photos here.

Collage of "End Fracking" posters and banners in communities all around B.C.

Image by Peter McCartney / Wilderness Committee

People honked, snapped pictures and stopped to ask questions. Fracking is B.C.’s biggest climate problem, but has largely been kept out of sight, out of mind.

“Most British Columbians would be shocked to learn there are over 30,000 fracking wells in B.C.’s northeast, a number that could double in the next decade,” said Kiki Wood of Stand.earth.

“Fortunately it’s not too late. If the B.C. government cancels fossil fuel subsidies and puts a moratorium on new fracking wells, we can get back on track to meeting our climate targets.”

NDP government called on to end fracking

The public art blitz came after B.C. approved yet another oil and gas expansion project, Cedar LNG in Kitimat. If built, the Haisla-owned terminal would ship fracked gas from the Coastal GasLink pipeline to be burned overseas.

Cabinet ministers will decide soon whether to approve another terminal, Tilbury LNG. Then there’s Woodfibre LNG, Ksi Lisims LNG and phase two of LNG Canada. Not to mention Enbridge’s zombie Westcoast Connector gas pipeline.

All of these projects would require more fracking – a highly polluting industrial practice. Fracking leaks methane gas into the atmosphere and permanently poisons large volumes of fresh water.

“From Kitimat to Kamloops and Vernon to Victoria, people are pushing back against the fracking industry’s bid for ever more permits, pipelines and LNG terminals,” said Dogwood’s Alexandra Woodsworth.

“With critical decisions coming up, cabinet ministers must choose whether to pad the profits of companies like Shell and Enbridge, or stand up for the people of B.C.”

Join the fight!

Monday’s coordinated banner drop was the latest action by Frack Free BC. This growing coalition launched with a noisy demonstration at the swearing-in ceremony for B.C. cabinet ministers in December.

Organizers are hosting a call Monday, April 3 to discuss upcoming plans. RSVP here to join in to learn about action opportunities and share your own ideas to help end fracking. The movement is open to people of all ages, experience levels and abilities, anywhere in B.C.

Did you spot any End Fracking posters in your neighbourhood? Post a picture to social media with the hashtags #FrackFreeBC and #EndFracking. It’s a great way to start a conversation with your friends and family about B.C.’s biggest climate problem.