Activists embarking on 1,000 kilometre bicycle trip to protest Alberta oilsands

The Canadian Press, August 12, 2008 -- A group of oilsands activists is setting out from Alberta´s oilsands on a 1,000-kilometre bicycle trip with hopes of presenting a toxic souvenir of their trip to policy-makers in Calgary.

"We´ll be delivering bottles of polluted Athabasca River water to CEOs and politicians," said event co-ordinator Marya Folinsbee.

"I really believe in living your beliefs and this is a really interesting opportunity to do that."

Reading a statement in front of the Alberta legislature on Tuesday, the Sierra Youth Coalition members said they´d like to see better communication with First Nations communities, and a stop to oilsands development until better regional planning is in place.

The organization staged a similar event last year where cyclists travelled 1,600 kilometres from Waterton National Park in southern Alberta to Fort McKay.

They stopped in a number of communities, talking to people about their experiences and opinions about oilsands development. Now coalition members say it´s taking that information and putting it towards more involved public discussions.

They plan to attend the Keepers of the Water Conference in Fort Chipewyan, a First Nations community that believes oilsands pollution is killing local wildlife, and causing higher rates of cancer and other illnesses.

Aftab Erfan, a Vancouver-based climate activist, said last year´s trip was received rather well.

"Even in some of the northern communities where a lot of the population is depending on the oil industry, we found that a lot of people were inviting us into their homes and wanted to talk about what we wanted to talk about," she said.

She said it´s important for young activists to develop a culture of "knowing what you´re talking about before you speak."

And that´s why Folinsbee wants to go to the oilsands.

"I´m from Edmonton but I´ve never seen the tarsands," she said. "For me that will be very important in itself, to sort of understand the wider context."

The group _ which includes people from as far away as California _ plan to end the trip on Aug. 28.

"Ideally no one would have to go on these kinds of urgent protests," Folinsbee said.

"As long as the tarsands are here there will be people speaking out against them."