Members of the Port Moody Laudato Si’ Circle are at the forefront of a campaign to request Port Moody City Council raise a lawsuit against major oil companies.
The circle is part of the global Laudato Si’ Movement, whose mission is “to inspire and mobilize the Catholic community to care for our common home and achieve climate and ecological justice, in collaboration with all people of good will.” It was formed in the spring of 2022 by parishioners Catherine Ho and Mark Norbury and meets every month at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Port Moody to pray and study the teachings of Pope Francis in Laudato Si’.
At meetings, the group encourages members to work to make a difference and take local action to “care for our common home” through various activities, including the Sue Big Oil campaign.
Three B.C. municipalities, Squamish, Gibsons, and View Royal, have already committed to joining the Sue Big Oil class action lawsuit and several more are considering it, according to Norbury. The Sue Big Oil campaign is endorsed by 38 B.C. environmental groups, and there are volunteer Sue Big Oil teams in approximately 20 communities across the province. About 10,000 British Columbians have signed the Sue Big Oil Declaration to date, including 100 in Port Moody.
The circle partnered with West Coast Environmental Law, a legal firm that serves as the secretariat for the Sue Big Oil campaign at the provincial level, and Force of Nature Alliance, an environmental group that Norbury contacted last October.
“Climate change is real,” said Norbury. “Many local cities and municipalities are facing its rising costs, through emergency services responding to wildfires, freak storms damaging infrastructure, and the threat of rising sea levels flooding homes, businesses, and land. Climate mitigation and adaption are costing governments many taxpayer dollars.”
Yet, “oil companies are continuing to make enormous profits each year. Oil companies have known since the 1980s about the damaging effects of their products on the earth’s climate and continue to produce high emissions. The Sue Big Oil campaign addresses this by getting the oil companies to pay their fair share under the principle of ‘polluter pays.’”
The circle promoted the campaign at St. Joseph’s on the first Sunday of Advent by giving talks after each Mass and displaying posters and other information in the church entrance. That day, 50 parishioners signed the declaration, several of whom also wrote letters and emails to the city council. Advent is a time when Catholics reflect on justice and the second coming of Christ, so it seemed to the group an appropriate day to do this.
Later in December 2023, the circle submitted a delegation request to Port Moody City Council, asking to give a five-minute presentation on the campaign at a council meeting. When that was unsuccessful, several circle members and others met at city hall to show their support for the campaign Jan. 23. During the public input section at that day’s council meeting, circle members Justin Arsenault and Norbury gave two-minute speeches. Finally, council voted unanimously to hear the delegation.
A Sue Big Oil delegation appeared at the council meeting Feb. 13 to give a five-minute presentation on the campaign. This matter is now with Port Moody city staff for review.
Port Moody City Council has a good track record of showing concern for climate issues. Mayor Meghan Lahti was one of the driving forces behind the city’s Climate Action Plan, published in 2020, and she was the recipient of the national environmental Clements Award in 2019. Port Moody is being seen as a gateway city to establish the Sue Big Oil campaign in the Lower Mainland. Campaigners in nearby Burnaby, Surrey, and Vancouver are providing support and watching what happens.
The Laudato Si’ Circle at St. Joseph’s Port Moody is inviting B.C. residents to sign the declaration at suebigoil.ca.
Yolanda Broderick is a member of the Laudato Si’ Circle at St. Joseph’s, Port Moody.
