MONCTON – The government’s strategy to ignore shale gas opponents and presume that this summer’s seismic testing and fracking plans are a done deal has opened a new front. This morning, an alliance consisting of 27 community groups, unions and associations representing more than 50,000 New Brunswickers from across the province delivered an open letter to SWN Resources Canada and their exploration contractor Geokinetics Inc., as well as other shale oil and gas companies operating in New Brunswick. The letter states that these companies do not have a social license to operate in this province and demands a halt to further exploration and drilling. A social license is jargon from the mining industry that indicates whether or not a company has the consent of the local communities where they plan to operate.

“Two months ago, we sent an open letter to Minister Leonard explaining that the provincial government has no mandate to move ahead with exploration for shale gas. The letter demanded a complete halt to their plans until they had consent from both Indigenous and non-Indigenous people. This letter was ignored. So, we are now addressing our demands directly to industry”, said Dr. Julia Linke, a landscape ecologist and member of the Fredericton Chapter of the Council of Canadians. “There are many people in Kent and Albert Counties who do not welcome seismic testing and fracking in their backyards, so we are urging industry to reconsider their plans. It is irresponsible to operate without a social license, which is what they are intending to do”, concluded Dr. Linke.

“We categorically condemn any planned or improvised act of violence or vandalism against these companies, and emphatically discourage any person to take part in any violent action” stressed Dr. Jean Louis Deveau, a social scientist and chair of the Fredericton Chapter of the Council of Canadians. “With this letter, we are trying to avoid civil disobedience which often occurs whenever good, law-abiding citizens have not given their consent to be put in harms way. But if it does occur, I think most people will blame the government for ignoring the serious concerns many New Brunswickers have about this industry and for failing to obtain or even seek their consent”, concluded Dr. Deveau.