British Columbia's government is promoting the myth that coastal oil and gas means jobs for economically depressed coastal communities. But that promise is an empty one.
The truth is, offshore oil puts existing jobs and businesses at risk: Commercial fisheries, tourism and sport fishing.
Most job opportunities will be short term construction jobs in the early phases of a project. The offshore oil and gas industry is highly specialized and oil companies will likely bring in experienced crews from other projects. In fact, these specialized work crews travel the globe from site to site. Possibilities are limited for local people without training in offshore surveying, exploratory drilling and facility construction. Also, the global and competitive nature of this industry leaves little room for local control or economic benefits.
"Typically exploration activities are handled by contractors who bring in equipment and their own highly trained crews. ... The majority of the jobs that would be created from the development of an offshore oiil industry would be short-term during the construction phase."
West Coast Offshore Exploration Environmental Assessment Panel, 1986
Offshore oil and gas will earn a profit for oil companies but will
cost
taxpayers dearly. Newfoundland's Hibernia project cost over $1
billion dollars in government grants, $190 million in tax exemptions,
and $2.66 billion in loans and loan guarantees. For every million
dollars invested by government, one local job was created that lasted,
on average, five years.
Commercial Fisheries
The commercial fishing industry contributes at
least $1 billion to British Columbia’s economy and supports over 16,000 jobs on the
fishing grounds and in processing plants.
Oil company leases straddle fishing grounds between Vancouver Island and
Hecate Strait, through which half of the fish caught in B.C. migrate or
originate. North Coast waters are migration corridors for millions of
salmon
migrating to and from rivers in Alaska, B.C., Washington, and Oregon.
Effects of offshore oil and gas development like seismic testing,
pollution and oil spills could damage these fisheries.
The 1986 West Coast Offshore Exploration Environmental Assessment Panel report on the moratorium, identified Hecate Strait, Queen Charlotte Sound and Dixon Entrance as vital to the commercial fishery.
Crabs caught in Hecate Strait
add $22 million to B.C.’s economy and provide 146 jobs yearly.
Report on the economic importance of the North Coast crab fishery.
Herring
spawn on beaches and the effects of an oil spill would devastate
the stocks. Thousands of jobs are created from the
harvest of herring roe, and the sustainable roe-on-kelp
fishery is worth over $10 million yearly. Herring are an
important part of the First Nations subsistence fishery and the food web of the eastern Pacific.
Tourism
Tourism in B.C. creates $9.5 billion in revenues and 130,000 full
time jobs (in 2000). Wilderness tourism is the fastest growing segment
of the industry, generating $1 billion in direct revenues and 15,000
full-time jobs.
The Economic Planning Group of Victoria estimates that outdoor
recreation on the coast adds $55 million to the provincial
economy. Ecotourism (kayaking, whale watching, hiking, etc.) brings
money and jobs to coastal communities. This growing sector of the
tourism industry would surely feel the effects of visible oil and gas
rigs on the coast.
The tourism industry in Scotland's Shetland Islands which suffered a 10 year decline after offshore oil and gas was established. The tourism industry began to recover after launching expensive marketing until the tanker Braer spilled almost 22 million gallons of oil.
