British Columbians support publishing tycoon David Black’s proposal that a refinery be built near Kitimat to convert oilsands bitumen into jet fuel, kerosene and gasoline, according to a poll that Black’s Kitimat Clean released September 26.
The poll found that 78% of British Columbians are aware of the Kitimat Clean proposal and that 72% of those people support it.
The top reasons given for support were that jobs would be created and that there would be less risk to the environment than if bitumen crude oil were shipped offshore.
Of the 28% who oppose the plan, the majority (76%) have environmental concerns and 62% are opposed to the pipeline itself.
Support for the refinery varied by region:
- Lower Mainland (80%);
- Vancouver Island (79%);
- Thompson/Okanagan (78%); and
- Cariboo (78%).
Kitimat Clean did not reveal who conducted the survey on its behalf.
