Canadian physicians take on LNG

In fact, the organizations use Dawson Creek as an example. It notes: “After speaking with several current and former Peace Region doctors, CAPE has learned that at least seven physicians, totalling nearly half of the 15 to 20 family physicians required to staff the emergency department and provide primary care, have closed their practices and left Dawson Creek in recent years, citing their knowledge and fears about the health and community impacts of the LNG and fracking industry.”

“Have we lost six doctors recently? Absolutely,” says Mike Bernier, MLA for the South Peace and long-time Dawson Creek resident. “And I’ve talked to a lot of them and they’re foreign-trained doctors that came on a two-year contract. When their two-year contract was over, they suggested to their families that they want to move to larger cities. Like most of them moved to Chilliwack and one moved to Calgary.”

He says the LNG industry is one of the most staunchly regulated industries in the world, adding, Northern BC is all about vital resources.

“You look right across British Columbia again, Prince George here where we have pulp mills, we look down south where we have forestry operations or we have other mining operations in places like Tumbler Ridge. I mean we have resource communities all around rural British Columbia. That’s why we’re here. That’s what built these communities.”

“So we definitely have other sources of air pollutants within Canada, like the pulp industry,” says Dr. Lem. “But nationally, it’s the fossil fuel industry that results in the most deaths and the most harm.”

The group is calling for a comprehensive and independent health impact assessment. But in the meantime.

“One of our calls to action is to enact a moratorium on new fracking and LNG production until that health impact assessment study is completed,” says Dr. Lem. “But until that happens, we need better protections for workers. We’ve heard so many stories about not only diseases, not only kind of physical diseases or cancers or chronic disease in those in those families but also the impacts on the social fabric of the communities.”

by Cheryl Jahn

Canadian physicians take on LNG

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