Oil and Gas Research Program Now Complete


Publications Will Help to Increase Understanding of Issue
June 15, 2005 for immediate release
The University of Northern British Columbia today marked the conclusion of the Northern Coastal Information and Research Program (NCIRP) with the release in Prince Rupert of the final two publications in the research series, UNBC Community-Collaborative Studies on British Columbia Offshore Oil and Gas.
The photo at right shows former Northern Land Use Institute Director John Backhouse speaking at the news conference today in Prince Rupert. The event was held at the new Northwest Community College / UNBC campus in the community.
“NCIRP has played a key role in the ongoing discussion about one of the most critical issues in British Columbia today,” said Dr. Charles Jago, UNBC President. “I want to recognize those involved with the program for their hard work and their commitment to raising the level of dialogue and understanding about offshore oil and gas.”
Research conducted through NCIRP has accomplished three key outcomes:
  • It has produced a series of seven publications that will add substantially to the understanding of BC offshore oil and gas issues;
  • No other recent studies have involved as much participation, collaboration and input from residents of the Queen Charlotte Basin (QCB); and,
  • NCIRP publications will allow the people of BC, and specifically residents of the QCB, to better inform themselves and take a greater role in discussions and decision-making around offshore oil and gas.
Voices From The Coast: The Collected Stories of Coastal BC Community Members Involved in the Research and Discussion of Oil and Gas is a collection of interviews with local citizens on their experiences with the oil and gas issue. All of the people profiled in the publication have been members of the Community Guidance Group, two-dozen residents of diverse backgrounds who hold a wide spectrum of opinions on the oil and gas issue. The second publication, Undercurrents2: A Citizens’ Guide to the Projects, Publications and Outcomes of the Northern Coastal Information and Research Program, provides an overview of NCIRP.
“Voices From The Coast exemplifies the level of commitment to working with communities upon which NCIRP was founded,” said Dr. Max Blouw, UNBC’s Vice-President of Research. “Each of the research reports in this series was unique in the way it undertook community collaboration. All broke new ground and gave local people an unprecedented role in the analysis of key issues about offshore oil and gas.”
NCIRP has been a program of UNBC’s Northern Land Use Institute. Funding was provided by the BC Ministry of Energy and Mines. Copies of all seven publications in the NCIRP series can be downloaded from www.unbc.ca/nlui/ncirp or ordered at cost from Debbie Krebs: fax (250) 960-5746; email krebsd@unbc.ca
CONTACT
Rob van Adrichem, Director of Media & Public Relations, UNBC – 250.960-5622