CALGARY—A growing campaign that has municipalities in British Columbia taking aim against the oil industry has Calgary city councillors seeing red, but the law firm behind the initiative says Alberta isn’t being singled out.

The campaign made headlines when Whistler, B.C., issued a letter last year to 20 international energy companies asking them to “pay a fair share” of the costs of climate change. But the issue came up again last month when councillors in Victoria, B.C., voted to begin tracking climate change-related costs and ask the Union of BC Municipalities to explore legal action against international oil companies.

In response, Mayor Naheed Nenshi agreed this week to write a letter to the Victoria council expressing support for Alberta’s oil and gas sector.

“What I am interested in is just helping everyone in Canada understand that we here in Alberta are not a bunch of F-350-driving cavemen,” he said. “That we believe strongly in the environment, and we believe strongly in the economy and we believe in financial and environmental prosperity for all Canadians.”

Andrew Gage, a Vancouver-based staff lawyer at West Coast Environmental Law, is part of a campaign pushing B.C. communities to send letters like Whistler’s — demanding large oil companies like Shell and Saudi Aramco pay for some of the local costs associated with the effects of climate change. Victoria is the first city to take an additional step of endorsing a class-action lawsuit against these companies, something Gage also wants to see.

Gage said exploring legal action isn’t about Alberta’s industry, and the idea that representatives from B.C. municipalities don’t know enough about Alberta oil “misses the point.”

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“It goes broadly to the question of can we continue to have an industry that isn’t paying for the cost of its products?” Gage said.

“But is it targeted to Alberta in particular? Of course not.”

Nenshi isn’t the only Calgary council member wading into the discussion on Alberta oil and gas.

On Thursday, Ward 1 Councillor Ward Sutherland shared a video of himself speaking in front of a Canada Action backdrop to issue an “Alberta challenge” to Victoria city council members. He asks them to visit Calgary to learn about the province’s oil and gas industry in the wake of Victoria council’s vote last month.

Canada Action is an advocacy group that’s a self-described “grassroots movement” aiming to encourage Canadians to support the country’s natural resource sector.

“Our oil industry is the most ethical in the world, and we want to show you,” Sutherland says in the recording. “Your city is not immune to using this valuable resource.”

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The discussion follows last year’s council vote in favour of a motion to declare official support for Alberta’s oil industry and construction of new pipelines. Sutherland said in an interview Friday that his message to Victoria is part of an education effort councillors have agreed to take on as part of that move.

He said he’s also sending the Victoria city councillors and mayor an information package from Canada Action that gives details on environmental initiatives energy companies in Alberta are undertaking.

“It’s factual stuff, it’s non-partisan, to say, ‘This is what’s really going on,’” Sutherland said.

“What we’re trying to say is, take a look at all the ferries and cruise ships, the buses, police (in Victoria) — everything you do is involved some way with the (oil) industry ... a lot of people aren’t even aware.”

At West Coast Environmental Law, Gage said he’s hoping for legal action to be taken against some of the companies that produce the most carbon emissions, and Canadian companies are much further down the list — however, some do have offices in Calgary.

He sees the effort as a way to make industry take more responsibility for the impact they have on the environment when governments can end up stuck with the bill for damage due to extreme weather or environmental changes related to climate change.

“The municipality, rather than just passing 100 per cent of the cost on to their taxpayer, expects the industry to pay some of that cost, too,” Gage said. “These communities, none of them have denied that they have to spend considerable resources reducing their own emissions, but they have said that the industry is part of the problem and they also have to pay some of the costs that arise from this.”

Sutherland maintains that even if the Victoria initiative isn’t specifically aimed at Alberta, there’s still a need to speak out about the energy industry.

“It all gets intertwined, whether we like it or not,” he said. “We need a change where we need to advocate and educate across the board, everybody, and just not say nothing.”

Sutherland said that if any Victoria council members take him up on his offer, Canada Action would be handling any possible tours or education efforts.

City councillors paid a PR consultant to produce videos in support of Alberta oil and gas in December, ahead of a Canada Action-organized pro-pipeline rally in front of city hall. Sutherland said that while he keeps in contact with Canada Action for information, this week’s video was an effort from within his office.

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