Sue Big Oil rally set for Tuesday in Port Moody

The road to the courtroom runs through Port Moody council chambers.

Before Tuesday’s council meeting, environmental advocacy group Force of Nature Alliance is set to hold a rally in an effort to convince Port Moody to sue major oil and gas companies.

The class-action lawsuit, which has received support from Gibsons, View Royal, and Squamish, is an attempt to hold major fossil fuel companies responsible for the effects of climate change, explained Benjamin Perry with Force of Nature.

“From forest fires to extreme heat and rising sea levels, the City of Port Moody cannot afford the skyrocketing costs of climate change alone,” Perry stated in a press release. “The world’s largest fossil fuel companies have worked tirelessly to prevent climate action and have made massive profits as a result. They should be forced to pay their fair share for climate damages.”

The group previously sought to speak directly to Port Moody mayor and council at a meeting. However, the city has a policy to restrict delegations that delve into issues outside the city’s jursidiction, such as when council can’t have: “legal, financial, geographic, or operational effect.”

A representative the firm leading the lawsuit disagreed.

“The City of Port Moody has jurisdiction to spend millions of dollars on infrastructure and services required to keep its residents safe from climate change, so it certainly has jurisdiction to join the Sue Big Oil class action lawsuit to recover some of those same costs from fossil fuel companies,” contended West Coast Environment Law staff lawyer Andrew Gage.

In an interview with Vancouver is Awesome, Gage said the legal team would rely on cases involving tobacco, asbestos and pharmaceutical companies.

As local governments directly incur climate-related costs – such as building infrastructure to protect shorelines from sea level rise – they have legal standing, according to a release from the law firm.

The lawsuit could target companies such as Chevron, Exxon Mobil, Saudi Aramco, British Petroleum and Shell, according to the law firm.

Making Port Moody’s civic facilities sustainable enough to achieve the city’s climate goals will cost about $5.9 million over the next seven years, and $11.7 million by 2040.

In 2023, Port Moody council endorsed a climate action plan estimated to cost $1.1 million over two years.

A 2012 provincial report previously estimated Metro Vancouver would spend $9.47 billion adapting to climate change by the year 2100.