February 23, 2005 for immediate release


The University of Northern British Columbia today released Understanding the Effects of Offshore Oil and Gas on Queen Charlotte Basin Communities, the fifth in a series of publications about BC offshore oil and gas.

Report author Norman Dale takes a unique approach to socioeconomic analysis by looking at what is understood about potential impacts of offshore oil and gas development on the human communities of the Queen Charlotte Basin. Based on field work, interviews, and a thorough literature review, a list of twenty-one questions was developed that captures the dominant concerns and expectations of the people of the basin. These questions include concerns about local employment prospects, possible environmental impacts, and implications for local cultures.

“This report provides an excellent overview of what matters most to the people closest to the prospective offshore oil and gas development,” said Dr. Max Blouw, UNBC’s Vice-President of Research.  “By combining local knowledge and understandings with a comprehensive review of the literature on the subject, it provides a clear picture of the diverse – often contradictory – concerns surrounding oil and gas and how they might be addressed.”

This research report is the fifth in the NCIRP series, UNBC Community-Collaborative Studies on British Columbia Offshore Oil and Gas. NCIRP is a program of UNBC’s Northern Land Use Institute. Funding was provided by the BC Ministry of Energy and Mines.

Copies of Understanding the Effects of Offshore Oil and Gas on Queen Charlotte Basin Communities, as well as other NCIRP publications, can be downloaded from www.unbc.ca/nlui/ncirp or ordered at cost from Debbie Krebs: fax (250) 960-5746 email krebsd@unbc.ca