FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                        PRESS RELEASE                        APRIL 3, 2012

FREDERICTON SHALE GAS PARADE LAUNCHES MUNICIPAL BLUE RIBBON CAMPAIGN

Fredericton, N.B., Canada - The movement against shale gas development is moving into the municipalities. Citizens in Fredericton are asking their municipal candidates for Mayor and Councilors to take a stand on protecting the city’s air and water.  To launch this election initiative, a parade of cars and trucks, followed by bicycles and pedestrians, will travel through downtown Fredericton this Thursday, April 5th at 12 noon.

People will gather at the parking lot beside the Old Burial Grounds at 51 Woodstock Road. The action will begin at 12 noon. The route will proceed down King Street, around the New Brunswick Legislature, and then up Queen Street to Fredericton City Hall. Vehicles and people will be decked out in blue balloons, blue ribbons, blue streamers, blue water jugs, and lots of signs. This parade will be the official launch of the Blue Ribbon Campaign here in Fredericton.

The Blue Ribbon Campaign is a grassroots action that is spreading to villages, towns, and cities across New Brunswick. With the growing enthusiasm of this campaign, organizers foresee similar actions throughout New Brunswick during the lead-up to municipal elections. The colour blue symbolizes that citizens will be voting for the Mayor and Councilor candidates who include in their platform a Ban or Moratorium on shale gas development.  On May 14th we will be voting for change.  Elected representatives and candidates will be invited to join the parade and publicly demonstrate that they will stand up to protect our air and water.

“The cost to human health, our air and water, our global climate, and our local economy are simply too great to remain quiet. Regulations are unable to protect us from the certainty of air pollution in the low-lying valley of Fredericton. And the aquifer from which we draw our drinking water extends far outside the Fredericton city limits into large tracts of shale gas exploration areas”, says Fredericton resident Sarah Boucher. “It is time for health and business organizations, churches, and politicians to speak up and join the largest grassroots movement that New Brunswick has ever seen.”

“Politics has no place in human health and safety. Almost all municipalities in New Brunswick have not taken an official stand on shale gas.  Pressure from citizens has caused Minto, Hampton, Sackville, and Sussex Corner to hold Council votes and all four now have a moratorium or ban in place. It is time for Fredericton to do the same”, says Fredericton resident Caroline Lubbe-D’Arcy.

Low turnout in most municipal elections means that seats can be won or lost by only a few hundred votes or less. Many seats are won by acclamation.  In the last Quadrennial Municipal Elections on May 12, 2008, the average voter turnout was forty-eight percent for contested municipal and rural community elections (a low of twenty-eight percent and a high of seventy-seven percent).  One hundred and seventy candidates (170) ran for one hundred and four mayoral (104) positions; Eight hundred and eighty-nine (889) candidates ran for five hundred and thirty-seven (537) council positions; Fifty-three (53) mayors and one hundred and ten (110) councilors were elected by acclamation.

“Let's put our local councilors on notice that they need to speak up and protect our air and water,” says organizer Mark D’Arcy. “Election date is May 14, 2012.”

Media Contacts:

Mark D’Arcy
Tel. 506 454 5119
markandcaroline@gmail.com

Terry Wishart
Tel. 506 238 4001
t.wishart@banfrackingnb.ca

NB Groups Want The Provincial Government To Heed Their Message
For Immediate Release
September 16, 2011

Moncton -- On Saturday, September 17, the anti-shale gas network of citizens have planned
another march for New Brunswickers to say “NO!” to shale gas in the downtown core of
Moncton.

More than 2 dozen groups from around the province, from places like Cornhill, Sackville,
Taymouth and Hampton, recently announced the network they’ve formed to stop shale gas
development in New Brunswick, and their next step is to hold another rally to continue sending
their message to the provincial government that the shale gas industry is not welcome here.

This grassroots movement has committed itself to informing their fellow New Brunswickers of
the dangers of shale gas. “It’s shameful that our government has not honestly engaged and
informed its citizens of the dangers of this industry,” says Debra Hopper, a spokesperson for Our
Environment, Our Choice, Notre Environnement, Notre Choix. “We have an intelligent group
here. We have done our homework; now the government needs to do the same. It has been
reading off of cheat sheets provided by industry. The same tired lines that we’re all sick of
hearing. The people of New Brunswick have a right to know what we are really facing.”

“We ask that our government do its job in protecting our life sustaining resources against an
industry that is advancing at an accelerated rate and that threatens our quality of life for
generations to come. Once the damages are done, there is no return,” says Patricia Léger,
spokesperson for Memramcook Action. “We cannot expect industry to warn us of the dangers of
this toxic method of extracting natural gas and our government seems to only be listening to
industry.”

In our ongoing effort to get the facts about the dangers of shale gas drilling out into the open, a
second march is being held this time in Moncton.  It will begin at 12:00 noon at the Hal Betts
Ball Fields – Moncton SportPlex, located at 250 Assomption Blvd at the corner of Vaughn
Harvey. Protesters will march along Vaughn Harvey Blvd, and down Main Street before
congregating at Moncton City Hall, next to SWN Offices.  We invite all water drinkers and air
breathers to join us in our PEACEFUL display of democracy in action. 

At City Hall, there will be speakers from various groups and communities from across the
province, including the Youth Environmental Action Network, Elsipogtog First Nation, Friends
of Mount Carleton, the Maliseet Grand Council, and Ban Fracking NB. 

Media Contacts:
Our Environment, Our Choice, Notre Envrionnement, Notre Choix, Denise Melanson: 523-9467
Quality of Life Initiative, Otty Forgrave: 839-2326
CCNB Action, Stephanie Merrill: 261-8317
Ban Fracking NB, Terri Telasco: 866-7658
New Brunswickers Against Fracking, Mary de La Valette: 369-1995
Council of Canadians, St. John Chapter, Carol Ring: 847-0953
Grand Lake Watershed Guardians, Amy Sullivan: 339-1980 or 339-5324
Sierra Club Atlantic, Hazel Richardson: 452-8915

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                        PRESS RELEASE                        APRIL 3, 2012

FREDERICTON SHALE GAS PARADE LAUNCHES MUNICIPAL BLUE RIBBON CAMPAIGN

Fredericton, N.B., Canada - The movement against shale gas development is moving into the municipalities. Citizens in Fredericton are asking their municipal candidates for Mayor and Councilors to take a stand on protecting the city’s air and water.  To launch this election initiative, a parade of cars and trucks, followed by bicycles and pedestrians, will travel through downtown Fredericton this Thursday, April 5th at 12 noon.

People will gather at the parking lot beside the Old Burial Grounds at 51 Woodstock Road. The action will begin at 12 noon. The route will proceed down King Street, around the New Brunswick Legislature, and then up Queen Street to Fredericton City Hall. Vehicles and people will be decked out in blue balloons, blue ribbons, blue streamers, blue water jugs, and lots of signs. This parade will be the official launch of the Blue Ribbon Campaign here in Fredericton.

The Blue Ribbon Campaign is a grassroots action that is spreading to villages, towns, and cities across New Brunswick. With the growing enthusiasm of this campaign, organizers foresee similar actions throughout New Brunswick during the lead-up to municipal elections. The colour blue symbolizes that citizens will be voting for the Mayor and Councilor candidates who include in their platform a Ban or Moratorium on shale gas development.  On May 14th we will be voting for change.  Elected representatives and candidates will be invited to join the parade and publicly demonstrate that they will stand up to protect our air and water.

“The cost to human health, our air and water, our global climate, and our local economy are simply too great to remain quiet. Regulations are unable to protect us from the certainty of air pollution in the low-lying valley of Fredericton. And the aquifer from which we draw our drinking water extends far outside the Fredericton city limits into large tracts of shale gas exploration areas”, says Fredericton resident Sarah Boucher. “It is time for health and business organizations, churches, and politicians to speak up and join the largest grassroots movement that New Brunswick has ever seen.”

“Politics has no place in human health and safety. Almost all municipalities in New Brunswick have not taken an official stand on shale gas.  Pressure from citizens has caused Minto, Hampton, Sackville, and Sussex Corner to hold Council votes and all four now have a moratorium or ban in place. It is time for Fredericton to do the same”, says Fredericton resident Caroline Lubbe-D’Arcy.

Low turnout in most municipal elections means that seats can be won or lost by only a few hundred votes or less. Many seats are won by acclamation.  In the last Quadrennial Municipal Elections on May 12, 2008, the average voter turnout was forty-eight percent for contested municipal and rural community elections (a low of twenty-eight percent and a high of seventy-seven percent).  One hundred and seventy candidates (170) ran for one hundred and four mayoral (104) positions; Eight hundred and eighty-nine (889) candidates ran for five hundred and thirty-seven (537) council positions; Fifty-three (53) mayors and one hundred and ten (110) councilors were elected by acclamation.

“Let's put our local councilors on notice that they need to speak up and protect our air and water,” says organizer Mark D’Arcy. “Election date is May 14, 2012.”

Media Contacts:

Mark D’Arcy
Tel. 506 454 5119
markandcaroline@gmail.com

Terry Wishart
Tel. 506 238 4001
t.wishart@banfrackingnb.ca

NB Groups Want The Provincial Government To Heed Their Message
For Immediate Release
September 16, 2011

Moncton -- On Saturday, September 17, the anti-shale gas network of citizens have planned
another march for New Brunswickers to say “NO!” to shale gas in the downtown core of
Moncton.

More than 2 dozen groups from around the province, from places like Cornhill, Sackville,
Taymouth and Hampton, recently announced the network they’ve formed to stop shale gas
development in New Brunswick, and their next step is to hold another rally to continue sending
their message to the provincial government that the shale gas industry is not welcome here.

This grassroots movement has committed itself to informing their fellow New Brunswickers of
the dangers of shale gas. “It’s shameful that our government has not honestly engaged and
informed its citizens of the dangers of this industry,” says Debra Hopper, a spokesperson for Our
Environment, Our Choice, Notre Environnement, Notre Choix. “We have an intelligent group
here. We have done our homework; now the government needs to do the same. It has been
reading off of cheat sheets provided by industry. The same tired lines that we’re all sick of
hearing. The people of New Brunswick have a right to know what we are really facing.”

“We ask that our government do its job in protecting our life sustaining resources against an
industry that is advancing at an accelerated rate and that threatens our quality of life for
generations to come. Once the damages are done, there is no return,” says Patricia Léger,
spokesperson for Memramcook Action. “We cannot expect industry to warn us of the dangers of
this toxic method of extracting natural gas and our government seems to only be listening to
industry.”

In our ongoing effort to get the facts about the dangers of shale gas drilling out into the open, a
second march is being held this time in Moncton.  It will begin at 12:00 noon at the Hal Betts
Ball Fields – Moncton SportPlex, located at 250 Assomption Blvd at the corner of Vaughn
Harvey. Protesters will march along Vaughn Harvey Blvd, and down Main Street before
congregating at Moncton City Hall, next to SWN Offices.  We invite all water drinkers and air
breathers to join us in our PEACEFUL display of democracy in action. 

At City Hall, there will be speakers from various groups and communities from across the
province, including the Youth Environmental Action Network, Elsipogtog First Nation, Friends
of Mount Carleton, the Maliseet Grand Council, and Ban Fracking NB. 

Media Contacts:
Our Environment, Our Choice, Notre Envrionnement, Notre Choix, Denise Melanson: 523-9467
Quality of Life Initiative, Otty Forgrave: 839-2326
CCNB Action, Stephanie Merrill: 261-8317
Ban Fracking NB, Terri Telasco: 866-7658
New Brunswickers Against Fracking, Mary de La Valette: 369-1995
Council of Canadians, St. John Chapter, Carol Ring: 847-0953
Grand Lake Watershed Guardians, Amy Sullivan: 339-1980 or 339-5324
Sierra Club Atlantic, Hazel Richardson: 452-8915