Gail Fraser, a professor in York’s Faculty of Environmental Studies, said the Canadian public has a right to know about projects that could pollute Canada’s natural resources. “We’re permitting these operators to pollute in federal waters. These are public resources, and the potential impact of these various impacts can be enormous,” said Fraser.

In recent testimony before a parliamentary committee, Fraser explained how she had been stymied in several attempts to obtain information from the board on oil spills and other pollutants. Fraser notes that under the Atlantic Accord act between the Newfoundland and federal governments, oil companies can veto the disclosure of any information provided to the board.

Republished courtesy of YFile– York University’s daily e-bulletin.