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Are oil companies the new tobacco companies — grudgingly tolerated for the sake of the associated tax revenue, but too disreputable to have their brands associated with charitable events and sports competitions? This month’s developments in B.C. suggest anti-oil demagoguery may be driving the country in that direction.
Earlier in August, The Ride to Conquer Cancer — which organizes a two-day cycling-themed fundraising event every year — posted the following notice on its website:
“The Ride to Conquer Cancer, benefiting the BC Cancer Foundation, announced an exciting new commitment from Silver Wheaton. The Vancouver-based precious metal streaming company is the Presenting Sponsor of the B.C. Ride to Conquer Cancer in 2014 through to 2016 — supporting the largest cycling fundraiser in B.C. history … ‘Silver Wheaton is proud to become the lead sponsor for the B.C. Ride to Conquer Cancer,’ said Randy Smallwood, president and CEO of Silver Wheaton. ‘With a staggering one in three British Columbians diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime, this cause is quite personal for many of our employees and their families. Our company is honoured to be supporting the BC Cancer Foundation’s vision for a world free of cancer.’ ”
Good for Silver Wheaton, I say. But its honour is another company’s dishonour. What was left unsaid in the above-quoted press release was that the incumbent marquee sponsor, Enbridge Inc., had been abruptly asked to remove its name from signage along the B.C. route of what, until very recently, was known as the “Enbridge Ride to Conquer Cancer.”
“The BC Cancer Foundation declined to have us as the lead sponsor, which we view as unfortunate,” Enbridge CEO Al Monaco said, tactfully. “But we will move on and look for other ways to support communities, which we are actively doing in B.C. on many fronts already.”
Outside of B.C., the event still carries the Enbridge sponsorship. Why was Enbridge dumped only in British Columbia? On Wednesday, I spoke to representatives for the Ride to Conquer Cancer — including Douglas Nelson, president and CEO of the BC Cancer Foundation. He politely declined to explain what factors went into the decision, except to delicately indicate that the focus of the event must remain on “fighting cancer.”
But we can fairly guess at the reason: the controversy surrounding Enbridge’s Northern Gateway project, a twin pipeline that would run from Bruderheim, Alta., to a new marine terminal in Kitimat, B.C. Many environmentalists and B.C. politicians oppose the pipeline, and the project has been subject to much the same bitter criticism that the Keystone XL project has been subject to in the United States.
For the rest of this article, click here: http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2013/08/21/charities-would-be-wrong-to-demonize-big-oil-amid-pipeline-controversy/