Churches to probe impacts of Canadian oil sands

A coalition of church leaders will fan out across northern Alberta next week for a fact-finding mission that will help formulate an official stance on the environmental impact of oil sands development.

Officials with Kairos, a multidenominational social justice group, joined by some aboriginal leaders, will talk with oil sands developers, labor organizations, local authorities and congregations about the impact of the massive energy projects, an issue garnering global attention.

Kairos’s work could prove controversial as many members of faiths that are part of the organization work in, or benefit from, the oil sands industry while others oppose it, Sara Stratton, education and campaigns coordinator for Kairos, said on Thursday.

The delegation includes leaders from the Anglican Church of Canada, Mennonite Central Committee, Presbyterian Church of Canada, United Church of Canada, Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, among others.

Reuters