Oilsands companies have PR problem: survey
By Dave Cooper, edmontonjournal.com
January 8, 2009
EDMONTON - Oilsands producers have received the word from the public — half don't believe what they are being told.
An industry-funded poll released Thursday found a lot of mistrust among respondents in Edmonton and Toronto. However, Edmontonians were generally more favourable towards the industry than Torontonians, particularly on questions around environmental responsibility.
The poll, conducted by academic researchers in June, did in-depth questioning of 425 people in each of the cities. It found 46 per cent believe the oilsands companies have not done a good job of balancing the environment and the economy, a balance that 71 per cent think is possible to achieve. Concerns about fresh water topped the list of environmental problems cited.
However, 63 per cent also believe Canada benefits from the development of the oilsands.
The poll found 50 per cent of respondents do not believe what oil and gas executives say in the media, and 44 per cent do not believe information supplied by the industry.
"We have received a clear message: the economic and energy security benefits of the oil sands cannot come at the expense of the environment," said Bruce March, chief executive officer of Imperial Oil. "We are encouraged to find Canadians believe, as we do, that responsible development of the oil sands is possible," he said in a release.
Marcel Coutu, chief executive of the Canadian Oil Sands Trust that is a partner in Syncrude, said "there are some wild misconceptions in the public about this industry. But at the same time we must recognize those issues, such as greenhouse gas emissions, where the environmental footprint today is larger than conventional crude oil production. We need to work to reduce that impact."
The poll was done at the start of a public awareness campaign by the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers, which has hosted the website www.canadasoilsands.ca for the past six months. The site has attracted 50,000 visits from more than 100 countries as part of a "conversation" with the public. CAPP says it will soon repeat the poll and extend it beyond Edmonton and Toronto.
dcooper@thejournal.canwest.com
POLL HIGHLIGHTS
Researchers contacted 425 people in Edmonton and 429 people in Toronto in June who then participated in a 60-question telephone survey. Results are based on a confidence interval of 95 per cent and sampling error of 4.8 per cent. The Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers plans to repeat this survey in the next few months, and to broaden it to new areas. The full survey results are available on www.canadasoilsands.ca.
- 42 per cent of respondents have a positive view of the oilsands, while 30 per cent have a negative view.
- 46 per cent believe the oilsands companies have not done a good job at balancing the environment and the economy. Only 22 per cent believe that the industry has achieved this balance.
- 71 per cent of respondents believe it is possible to achieve the economic benefits of the oilsands while also protecting the environment. Only 11 per cent disagree that this balance is possible.
- Concern about impacts on freshwater supply was cited as the single most significant oilsands environmental issue by respondents, at 26 per cent, while impact on local wildlife and habitat was the second most cited issue, at 19 per cent.
- 63 per cent of respondents believe that Canada benefits from the development of the oilsands, while 19 per cent disagree with this statement.
- 64 per cent of Canadians believe that the oilsands are important to providing a secure supply of Canada’s future oil needs.
- Public trust in oilsands companies is weak, with 50 per cent of respondents saying they do not believe what oil and gas executives say in the media, compared with only 13 per cent who do.
- With a few exceptions, there is little substantial divergence between the Edmonton and Toronto results. Edmontonians are generally more favourable towards the oilsands industry than Torontonians. Particularly on questions around the environmental responsibility of the industry, Toronto respondents have a more negative view than Edmonton respondents.
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