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Many people have grown a little touchy about organizations partnering with oil companies. There’s nowhere that might be more true than Vancouver, where petroleum corporations (and the federal government) are spending millions on public relations campaigns aimed at convincing British Columbians it’s a good idea to allow the export of Alberta’s heavy crude oil through B.C. ports and coastal waters.

Not even beloved educational institutions like Science World, a place where kids and adults alike can learn about everything from mechanics to butterflies, are exempt from corporate influences.

"Kind of disgusted to see this at Science World,” reads a message in reference to the photo above. “Propaganda from the gas and oil industry.”

The placard bears the logos of Esso and the Imperial Oil Foundation, both of which are owned by petroleum superpower ExxonMobil, and Encana Corporation, an Alberta-based company that mostly deals in natural gas.

That Twitter user, Georgia Straight staffer Jessica Werb (currently on leave), went on to note that the sign marks an “educational” exhibit about energy production in Canada.

The attentive folks operating the @ScienceWorldca Twitter account were quick to respond. Their emailed reply, attributed to Pauline Finn, vice president of community engagement, boasted of a number of exhibits devoted to the environment and sustainability. Here’s the bit that addresses the partnership with ExxonMobil and Encana:

The Let’s Talk Energy kiosk referred to by your colleague is a single/standalone exhibit hosted here at our facility. The project is part of a multi-year Canada Science and Technology Museums Corporation (CSTMC) partnership program that includes travelling exhibitions, permanents exhibitions and kiosks (scheduled culmination in 2017). The kiosk your colleague referred to is also installed in a variety of other locations (science centres, museums, airports etc) across the country. The overall initiative is sponsored by a variety of contributors including the oil and gas industry and the full list of sponsors is listed here.

How do you feel about Exxon teaching your children about energy?