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The campaign began to pick up steam in 2017 in smaller towns, districts and cities of Vancouver Island, the Kootenays and the Sunshine Coast. But it expanded into national news after Postmedia reported last week that Whistler had sent climate accountability letters last month to 20 international energy companies, at least one of which, Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. (CNRL), is based in Canada. That news was followed by CIBC cancelling the energy portion of an investment conference planned for Whistler, and the resort municipality’s new Mayor Jack Crompton issuing a public statement expressing his “regret that anyone felt unwelcome here.”

Andrew Gage of West Coast Environmental Law said Tuesday that as far as he was aware, “no other municipality has sent letters to Canadian companies — for the simple reason that their proportionate contribution is very small relative to the global companies.”

“Our recommendation has always been that they send letters to the 20 largest companies,” Gage said, adding there are no Canadian oil and gas companies among the world’s 20 largest. “So we have no expectation that Vancouver would send a letter to CNRL.”

Photo by DARRYL DYCK / CP

The campaign has more recently worked its way south down the Sea to Sky Highway and into Metro Vancouver, as West Vancouver’s government sent letters to fossil fuel companies last week, and on Tuesday, some Vancouver councillors expressed an interest in bringing the WCEL campaign to council next year.