Church Leaders to Judge Oilsands Morality

Deborah Tetley, May 15, 2009, Calgart Herald, CALGARY - Canadian church leaders -- including three from the heart of the oilpatch in Calgary-- will explore moral, ethical and spiritual issues surrounding oilsands development when they travel to northern Alberta next week on a fact-finding mission.

After the visit, delegates say, churches around the country will be better educated to formulate an official stance for their congregations on the environmental impact of oilsands development.

"It is controversial, no doubt in my mind," said Bill Phipps, former moderator of the United Church of Canada, and one of more than a dozen church leaders going on the tour.

"But as Albertans and churchgoers and Canadians we are all implicated in the pros and cons of tarsands development, so it's time someone challenged the public to take a real serious look at the ethical and moral issues, too."

The coalition, called Kairos -- a multi-denominational social justice group--will visit the region from May 21 to 29.

The delegation, including representatives from the Anglican Church of Canada, Mennonite Central Committee, the Presbyterian Church in Canada and the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, will meet with municipal leaders, environmental groups, oilsands developers and labour groups, Phipps said.

They will also meet aboriginal leaders from Fort Chipewyan, where concerns surrounding polluted water have been raised.

"By talking to this range of people we can help clarify in our own minds what the current and future issues are, and learn how to address them with our congregations,"said Phipps, a retired minister.

The mission comes on the heels of a string of high-profile, negative publicity for the oilsands, including the 1,600 ducks that died on a tailings pond and a scathing examination of the developments by National Geographic magazine.

The Alberta government, meanwhile, is in the midst of a $25-million rebranding campaign, which attracted international attention after it was learned one photograph used was shot in England.

One industry analyst said the timing of the church leaders' trip is not in the government's favour.

"The government is going to have their public relations agenda taken away by this," said Ian Doig, an independent oil and gas industry analyst.

Doig also said the mission to northern Alberta by such a wide range of church leaders could deal a blow to an industry already struggling under the weight of the economic downturn.

"This is just another hurdle for them."

Another Calgary delegate, Dana Bush, said all members of the coalition are determined to enter into the weeklong visit with open minds.

She said most Canadians are knowledgeable about the oilsands from a physical and environmental perspective, but not many consider the oilsands in a theological context.

"This is a chance to explore our ethical and spiritual relationship with the land and the people up there and determine what is our responsibility," said Bush, who will be representing Canadian Quakers.

The Kairos delegation, which will also include officials with the Dene Nation in Canada's north, Gitxsan First Nation in British Columbia and Oil Watch International in Nigeria, aims to eventually develop an ecumenical consensus on a series of points.

"But the individual churches, they will also develop their own policies, probably, as a result of this trip," said Sara Stratton, a spokeswoman for Kairos.

"So the United Church, for example, would probably have a period of reflection based on its experience, and the Catholic bishops would have a similar conversation. Depending on the structure of the church, that would filter down or go into a larger dialogue."

With files from Reuters

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