FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                        PRESS RELEASE                        APRIL 3, 2012

FREDERICTON SHALE GAS PARADE LAUNCHES MUNICIPAL BLUE RIBBON CAMPAIGN

Fredericton, N.B., Canada - The movement against shale gas development is moving into the municipalities. Citizens in Fredericton are asking their municipal candidates for Mayor and Councilors to take a stand on protecting the city’s air and water.  To launch this election initiative, a parade of cars and trucks, followed by bicycles and pedestrians, will travel through downtown Fredericton this Thursday, April 5th at 12 noon.

People will gather at the parking lot beside the Old Burial Grounds at 51 Woodstock Road. The action will begin at 12 noon. The route will proceed down King Street, around the New Brunswick Legislature, and then up Queen Street to Fredericton City Hall. Vehicles and people will be decked out in blue balloons, blue ribbons, blue streamers, blue water jugs, and lots of signs. This parade will be the official launch of the Blue Ribbon Campaign here in Fredericton.

The Blue Ribbon Campaign is a grassroots action that is spreading to villages, towns, and cities across New Brunswick. With the growing enthusiasm of this campaign, organizers foresee similar actions throughout New Brunswick during the lead-up to municipal elections. The colour blue symbolizes that citizens will be voting for the Mayor and Councilor candidates who include in their platform a Ban or Moratorium on shale gas development.  On May 14th we will be voting for change.  Elected representatives and candidates will be invited to join the parade and publicly demonstrate that they will stand up to protect our air and water.

“The cost to human health, our air and water, our global climate, and our local economy are simply too great to remain quiet. Regulations are unable to protect us from the certainty of air pollution in the low-lying valley of Fredericton. And the aquifer from which we draw our drinking water extends far outside the Fredericton city limits into large tracts of shale gas exploration areas”, says Fredericton resident Sarah Boucher. “It is time for health and business organizations, churches, and politicians to speak up and join the largest grassroots movement that New Brunswick has ever seen.”

“Politics has no place in human health and safety. Almost all municipalities in New Brunswick have not taken an official stand on shale gas.  Pressure from citizens has caused Minto, Hampton, Sackville, and Sussex Corner to hold Council votes and all four now have a moratorium or ban in place. It is time for Fredericton to do the same”, says Fredericton resident Caroline Lubbe-D’Arcy.

Low turnout in most municipal elections means that seats can be won or lost by only a few hundred votes or less. Many seats are won by acclamation.  In the last Quadrennial Municipal Elections on May 12, 2008, the average voter turnout was forty-eight percent for contested municipal and rural community elections (a low of twenty-eight percent and a high of seventy-seven percent).  One hundred and seventy candidates (170) ran for one hundred and four mayoral (104) positions; Eight hundred and eighty-nine (889) candidates ran for five hundred and thirty-seven (537) council positions; Fifty-three (53) mayors and one hundred and ten (110) councilors were elected by acclamation.

“Let's put our local councilors on notice that they need to speak up and protect our air and water,” says organizer Mark D’Arcy. “Election date is May 14, 2012.”

Media Contacts:

Mark D’Arcy
Tel. 506 454 5119
markandcaroline@gmail.com

Terry Wishart
Tel. 506 238 4001
t.wishart@banfrackingnb.ca

NB Groups Want The Provincial Government To Heed Their Message
For Immediate Release
September 16, 2011

Moncton -- On Saturday, September 17, the anti-shale gas network of citizens have planned
another march for New Brunswickers to say “NO!” to shale gas in the downtown core of
Moncton.

More than 2 dozen groups from around the province, from places like Cornhill, Sackville,
Taymouth and Hampton, recently announced the network they’ve formed to stop shale gas
development in New Brunswick, and their next step is to hold another rally to continue sending
their message to the provincial government that the shale gas industry is not welcome here.

This grassroots movement has committed itself to informing their fellow New Brunswickers of
the dangers of shale gas. “It’s shameful that our government has not honestly engaged and
informed its citizens of the dangers of this industry,” says Debra Hopper, a spokesperson for Our
Environment, Our Choice, Notre Environnement, Notre Choix. “We have an intelligent group
here. We have done our homework; now the government needs to do the same. It has been
reading off of cheat sheets provided by industry. The same tired lines that we’re all sick of
hearing. The people of New Brunswick have a right to know what we are really facing.”

“We ask that our government do its job in protecting our life sustaining resources against an
industry that is advancing at an accelerated rate and that threatens our quality of life for
generations to come. Once the damages are done, there is no return,” says Patricia Léger,
spokesperson for Memramcook Action. “We cannot expect industry to warn us of the dangers of
this toxic method of extracting natural gas and our government seems to only be listening to
industry.”

In our ongoing effort to get the facts about the dangers of shale gas drilling out into the open, a
second march is being held this time in Moncton.  It will begin at 12:00 noon at the Hal Betts
Ball Fields – Moncton SportPlex, located at 250 Assomption Blvd at the corner of Vaughn
Harvey. Protesters will march along Vaughn Harvey Blvd, and down Main Street before
congregating at Moncton City Hall, next to SWN Offices.  We invite all water drinkers and air
breathers to join us in our PEACEFUL display of democracy in action. 

At City Hall, there will be speakers from various groups and communities from across the
province, including the Youth Environmental Action Network, Elsipogtog First Nation, Friends
of Mount Carleton, the Maliseet Grand Council, and Ban Fracking NB. 

Media Contacts:
Our Environment, Our Choice, Notre Envrionnement, Notre Choix, Denise Melanson: 523-9467
Quality of Life Initiative, Otty Forgrave: 839-2326
CCNB Action, Stephanie Merrill: 261-8317
Ban Fracking NB, Terri Telasco: 866-7658
New Brunswickers Against Fracking, Mary de La Valette: 369-1995
Council of Canadians, St. John Chapter, Carol Ring: 847-0953
Grand Lake Watershed Guardians, Amy Sullivan: 339-1980 or 339-5324
Sierra Club Atlantic, Hazel Richardson: 452-8915

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                        PRESS RELEASE                        APRIL 3, 2012

FREDERICTON SHALE GAS PARADE LAUNCHES MUNICIPAL BLUE RIBBON CAMPAIGN

Fredericton, N.B., Canada - The movement against shale gas development is moving into the municipalities. Citizens in Fredericton are asking their municipal candidates for Mayor and Councilors to take a stand on protecting the city’s air and water.  To launch this election initiative, a parade of cars and trucks, followed by bicycles and pedestrians, will travel through downtown Fredericton this Thursday, April 5th at 12 noon.

People will gather at the parking lot beside the Old Burial Grounds at 51 Woodstock Road. The action will begin at 12 noon. The route will proceed down King Street, around the New Brunswick Legislature, and then up Queen Street to Fredericton City Hall. Vehicles and people will be decked out in blue balloons, blue ribbons, blue streamers, blue water jugs, and lots of signs. This parade will be the official launch of the Blue Ribbon Campaign here in Fredericton.

The Blue Ribbon Campaign is a grassroots action that is spreading to villages, towns, and cities across New Brunswick. With the growing enthusiasm of this campaign, organizers foresee similar actions throughout New Brunswick during the lead-up to municipal elections. The colour blue symbolizes that citizens will be voting for the Mayor and Councilor candidates who include in their platform a Ban or Moratorium on shale gas development.  On May 14th we will be voting for change.  Elected representatives and candidates will be invited to join the parade and publicly demonstrate that they will stand up to protect our air and water.

“The cost to human health, our air and water, our global climate, and our local economy are simply too great to remain quiet. Regulations are unable to protect us from the certainty of air pollution in the low-lying valley of Fredericton. And the aquifer from which we draw our drinking water extends far outside the Fredericton city limits into large tracts of shale gas exploration areas”, says Fredericton resident Sarah Boucher. “It is time for health and business organizations, churches, and politicians to speak up and join the largest grassroots movement that New Brunswick has ever seen.”

“Politics has no place in human health and safety. Almost all municipalities in New Brunswick have not taken an official stand on shale gas.  Pressure from citizens has caused Minto, Hampton, Sackville, and Sussex Corner to hold Council votes and all four now have a moratorium or ban in place. It is time for Fredericton to do the same”, says Fredericton resident Caroline Lubbe-D’Arcy.

Low turnout in most municipal elections means that seats can be won or lost by only a few hundred votes or less. Many seats are won by acclamation.  In the last Quadrennial Municipal Elections on May 12, 2008, the average voter turnout was forty-eight percent for contested municipal and rural community elections (a low of twenty-eight percent and a high of seventy-seven percent).  One hundred and seventy candidates (170) ran for one hundred and four mayoral (104) positions; Eight hundred and eighty-nine (889) candidates ran for five hundred and thirty-seven (537) council positions; Fifty-three (53) mayors and one hundred and ten (110) councilors were elected by acclamation.

“Let's put our local councilors on notice that they need to speak up and protect our air and water,” says organizer Mark D’Arcy. “Election date is May 14, 2012.”

Media Contacts:

Mark D’Arcy
Tel. 506 454 5119
markandcaroline@gmail.com

Terry Wishart
Tel. 506 238 4001
t.wishart@banfrackingnb.ca

PRESS RELEASE

For Immediate Release                  December 8, 2011

N.B. Shale Gas Opposition Alliance Announces Text Message Action

The texting initiative was planned and conceived in partnership with the Council of Canadians. With its ease of use and quick result, text messaging will allow New Brunswickers to express their opinion directly to our elected members from the comfort of their own homes.

The letter contained in the text message sent to New Brunswick legislators includes arguments championed by economists, geologists, engineers and former industry insiders which contradict industry and government speaking points centred around job creation, royalty revenues and public benefits. They include the following:

• The need for industry to import skilled workers from outside New Brunswick as has been happening in the US and western Canada

• Inflated royalty payments which do not take into consideration increased health care costs due to the migration of carcinogenic materials into our air, water and the land on which we live

• Reduced tax revenues from decreased property assessments and reductions in new home construction in areas ear-marked for shale gas development

• Reduced tax revenues as a result of citizens and visitors to the province seeking to escape an ever-increasing level of industrialization and the resulting pollution

• Increased road and bridge repair expenditures in counties where existing infrastructure was not engineered to withstand tens of thousands of truckloads of water, waste water, and methane gas

The Text Message Action Campaign is scheduled to go on indefinitely. Organizers invite New Brunswickers to take this opportunity to make their voice heard, especially in light of the Alward Government’s decision to not engage in consultations with the public and its intention to continue on a path towards shale gas production.

Media Contacts:

PRESS RELEASE

For Immediate Release        November 17, 2011

Shale Gas Protest March and Rallies in Fredericton November 19th and 23rd

FREDERICTON NB ---- A march and two rallies at the Provincial Legislature will take place on November 19th and November 23rd to protest unconventional shale gas development in New Brunswick.
Citizens and community groups from throughout New Brunswick will converge on Fredericton on Saturday, November 19th and at the opening session of the New Brunswick Legislature on Wednesday, November 23rd with their message to the Alward Government that the exploration and extraction of natural gas from shale using horizontal drilling in combination with slick water hydraulic fracturing will not be tolerated.

New Brunswickers from all over the province denounce the development of an unconventional shale gas industry. The process used to extract unconventional shale gas is less than 20 years old. It is the undisputed cause of ecological damage and long-term economic net debt, earthquakes, air and noise pollution, infrastructure degradation and the profligate use and irreversible poisoning of trillions of litres of fresh water. It leaves deleterious impacts on the lives and health of humans and other animals in its wake.

“The civic duty of New Brunswick residents does not require that they be guinea pigs in anyone's science experiments”, states Jim Emberger, spokesperson for the Taymouth Community Association.

The promise of large-scale job creation appears over-exaggerated. In a recent presentation at the University of New Brunswick on October 22, 2011, Mr. Calvin Tillman, former mayor of Dish, Texas mentioned that since this industry requires highly skilled workers, most will be imported from outside the province to enable the industry to be more competitive at a time when stock market prices for natural gas are low.

Events on Saturday, November 19th will begin at 7:00 am with a Sunrise Ceremony at the Old Burial Grounds at 51 Woodstock Road. At 10:00 am there will be a benefit concert at the Old Burial Grounds for the people of Penobsquis. A march to the Provincial Legislature will begin after the concert, starting at 11:00 am.

Sixty residents in Penobsquis have lost their well water and have experienced ground subsidence allegedly from the industrialization of their rural community. Some who want to move away have been unable to sell their homes. We ask, where is justice for the people of Penobsquis? Will regulations serve anyone when more things go wrong? A point made clear in the recent documentary by Rob Turgeon, ‘Be... Without Water’. (www.youtube.com/user/robfturgeon#p/a/u/1/aK0NMTMXHSw)

Events on Wednesday, November 23rd are scheduled to begin at the Provincial Legislature at 12:00 noon. A program with music and speakers will begin at 1:00 pm.

Media Contacts:

Jean Louis Deveau 506 442 1413 jlpdev@nbnet.nb.ca     

Julia Linke 506 367 0987 linkejul@gmail.com

Terry Wishart 506 238 4001 t.wishart@banfrackingnb.ca

_________________________________________________

COMMUNIQUÉ

Pour publication immédiate                              17 novembre 2011

Marche et rassemblements contre les gaz de schiste à Fredericton les 19 et 23 novembre

FREDERICTON NB — Une marche et deux rassemblements devant l’Assemblée législative auront lieu les 19 et 23 novembre pour protester contre l’exploitation non traditionnelle des gaz de schiste au Nouveau-Brunswick.

Des citoyens et des groupes communautaires de toutes les régions du Nouveau-Brunswick se réuniront à Fredericton le samedi 19 novembre et lors de la séance d’ouverture de l’Assemblée législative du Nouveau-Brunswick le mercredi 23 novembre pour livrer leur message à l’administration Alward que l’exploration et l’exploitation du gaz naturel des schistes en utilisant le forage horizontal avec des fluides de fracturation ne seront pas tolérées. Les Néobrunswickois de toute la province dénoncent l’exploitation non conventionnelle des gaz de schiste par l’industrie. Le processus utilisé pour extraire les gaz a moins de 20 ans. Et il est la cause non contestée de dégâts écologiques, de dettes économiques nettes à long terme, de tremblements de terre, de pollution atmosphérique et sonore, de dégradation des infrastructures et de l’utilisation immodérée d’eau et de l’empoisonnement irréversible de trillions de litres d’eau douce. Par ailleurs, cette industrie laisse dans son sillage des impacts nuisibles sur la vie et la santé des humains et des autres animaux.

« Le devoir civique des résidents du Nouveau-Brunswick n’exige pas qu’ils servent de cobaye pour les expériences scientifiques, » affirme Jim Emberger, porte-parole de l’Association communautaire de Taymouth.

Les promesses de créations d’emplois à grande échelle semblent très exagérées. Dans sa récente présentation à l’université du Nouveau-Brunswick le 22 octobre dernier, monsieur Calvin Tillman, ancien maire de Dish au Texas a mentionné qu’étant donné que cette industrie a besoin de travailleurs hautement qualifiés, la plupart d’entre eux proviendront de l’extérieur de la province afin de permettre aux opérations d’être plus compétitives au moment où les prix sur le marché du gaz naturel sont bas.

Les évènements de samedi 19 novembre vont commencer à 7 heures avec une cérémonie du lever du soleil au vieux cimetière situé au 51 Woodstock Road. À 10 heures, il y aura un concert au bénéfice des citoyens de Penobsquis. La marche vers l’Assemblée législative commencera après le concert à 11 heures au même endroit.

En effet, soixante résidents de Penobsquis ont perdu l’eau de leur puits et ont subi des affaissements de terrain après l’industrialisation de leur collectivité rurale. Certains qui ont voulu déménager ailleurs n’ont pas été capables de vendre leur maison. Nous demandons, où se trouve la justice pour les habitants de Penobsquis? Est-ce que des règlementations vont servir à qui que ce soit lorsque d’autres choses tourneront mal? Un récent documentaire par Rob Turgeon donne une réponse très claire :

« Vivez...sans eau » (www.youtube.com/user/robfturgeon#p/a/u/1/aK0NMTMXHSw)

Les évènements de mercredi 23 novembre débuteront à l’Assemblée législative à midi. Un
ensemble d’évènements avec musique et conférenciers débutera à 13 heures.

Personnes-ressources pour les médias :

Jean Louis Deveau 506 442 1413 jlpdev@nbnet.nb.ca

Julia Linke 506 367 0987 linkejul@gmail.com

Terry Wishart 506 238 4001 t.wishart@banfrackingnb.ca

NB Groups Want The Provincial Government To Heed Their Message
For Immediate Release
September 16, 2011

Moncton -- On Saturday, September 17, the anti-shale gas network of citizens have planned
another march for New Brunswickers to say “NO!” to shale gas in the downtown core of
Moncton.

More than 2 dozen groups from around the province, from places like Cornhill, Sackville,
Taymouth and Hampton, recently announced the network they’ve formed to stop shale gas
development in New Brunswick, and their next step is to hold another rally to continue sending
their message to the provincial government that the shale gas industry is not welcome here.

This grassroots movement has committed itself to informing their fellow New Brunswickers of
the dangers of shale gas. “It’s shameful that our government has not honestly engaged and
informed its citizens of the dangers of this industry,” says Debra Hopper, a spokesperson for Our
Environment, Our Choice, Notre Environnement, Notre Choix. “We have an intelligent group
here. We have done our homework; now the government needs to do the same. It has been
reading off of cheat sheets provided by industry. The same tired lines that we’re all sick of
hearing. The people of New Brunswick have a right to know what we are really facing.”

“We ask that our government do its job in protecting our life sustaining resources against an
industry that is advancing at an accelerated rate and that threatens our quality of life for
generations to come. Once the damages are done, there is no return,” says Patricia Léger,
spokesperson for Memramcook Action. “We cannot expect industry to warn us of the dangers of
this toxic method of extracting natural gas and our government seems to only be listening to
industry.”

In our ongoing effort to get the facts about the dangers of shale gas drilling out into the open, a
second march is being held this time in Moncton.  It will begin at 12:00 noon at the Hal Betts
Ball Fields – Moncton SportPlex, located at 250 Assomption Blvd at the corner of Vaughn
Harvey. Protesters will march along Vaughn Harvey Blvd, and down Main Street before
congregating at Moncton City Hall, next to SWN Offices.  We invite all water drinkers and air
breathers to join us in our PEACEFUL display of democracy in action. 

At City Hall, there will be speakers from various groups and communities from across the
province, including the Youth Environmental Action Network, Elsipogtog First Nation, Friends
of Mount Carleton, the Maliseet Grand Council, and Ban Fracking NB. 

Media Contacts:
Our Environment, Our Choice, Notre Envrionnement, Notre Choix, Denise Melanson: 523-9467
Quality of Life Initiative, Otty Forgrave: 839-2326
CCNB Action, Stephanie Merrill: 261-8317
Ban Fracking NB, Terri Telasco: 866-7658
New Brunswickers Against Fracking, Mary de La Valette: 369-1995
Council of Canadians, St. John Chapter, Carol Ring: 847-0953
Grand Lake Watershed Guardians, Amy Sullivan: 339-1980 or 339-5324
Sierra Club Atlantic, Hazel Richardson: 452-8915