With bitumen pipelines dominating the news, what can Canadians learn from the past? The Salt Spring Forum presents Thomas Berger, who served as commissioner of the well-known Mackenzie Valley Pipeline Inquiry in the 1970s. Justice Berger will help us to understand the complicated relationship between oil and gas development, environmental protection, and indigenous rights.

Thomas Berger is a former BC-NDP leader, BC Supreme Court judge, and Order of Canada recipient who was appointed sole commissioner of the Mackenzie Valley Pipeline Inquiry by Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau. After pioneering modern environmental impact assessement and consulting extensively with indigenous peoples, Berger recommended a ten-year delay before the construction of a natural gas pipeline from the Arctic to Alberta. The Canadian government accepted this recommendation and the pipeline was, in the end, never built.

Join the Salt Spring Forum for what promises to be an engaging and relevant discussion on issues that affect us all.