Organizations founded by an American oil baron and a Silicon Valley philanthropist are among the foreign charities being targeted by Enbridge in its battle against critics of the proposed Northern Gateway pipeline.
Tens of millions of dollars have been donated to conservation groups and initiatives in B.C., for everything from Earth Day celebrations to aboriginal salmon recovery programs.
It's a point of contention for the pipeline proponent, which has asked the environmental review panel examining the Northern Gateway project to compel funding information from its critics. The panel returns to B.C. this week for final hearings on the project.
And it's a point of contention for Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver, who earlier this year decried the "foreign special interest groups" that "threaten to hijack our regulatory system to achieve their radical ideological agenda."
Specifically, Enbridge has singled out in requests submitted to the panel:
? The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, a California-based organization founded by the co-founder of Intel Corporation that focuses on conservation, scientific research and patient health.
? The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, a California-based social and environmental charity founded by Hewlett-Packard co-founder William R. Hewlett.
? The Rockefeller Foundation, a philanthropic venture of John D. Rockefeller Sr., the American industrialist who founded the Standard Oil Company.
? Tides Canada, a Vancouver-based organization that distributes donations to initiatives on climate change, wilderness protection, marine conservation, aboriginal issues, poverty, and international development.
? The Bullitt Foundation, a fund for environmental, children's and peace initiatives founded by Seattle philanthropist Dorothy Bullitt, founder of KING Broadcasting Co.
The Bullitt Foundation has awarded almost $1 million over the past 16 years to the David Suzuki Foundation and $735,000 over 13 years to the environmental law group Eco-Justice. Other foundation funding directed toward British Columbia includes: the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre (one grant worth $20,000), Tides Foundation (20 grants totalling $564,000), and the Sierra Club (9 grants worth $210,000).
In August, the Moore Foundation announced $2 million over the next three years for the World Wildlife Fund Canada.
Other 2012 foundation grants to be disbursed in B.C.: Simon Fraser University ($250,000 for a First Nations decision-making and governance project and $611,000 for a study of small-scale hydro projects), as well as $600,000 for Tides Canada's Canadian freshwater alliance project and $981,000 for Tides Canada Foundation's wild salmon ecosystem small grants fund.
Several First Nations groups will also receive funds, including the First Nations Fisheries Council ($262,000), the Hartley Bay Village Council ($324,000), Coastal First Nations Turning Point Initiative Society ($314,000), and the Kitasoo-XaiXais ($266,000).
Calls to Enbridge seeking comment were not returned.
Ivan Thompson, program officer for the Moore Foundation's Wild Salmon Ecosystem Initiative, suggested the funding is far from nefarious.
"The reason why the Moore Foundation is particularly interested in Canada in terms of environmental conservation funding is because, essentially, salmon and marine systems are collapsing around the world and here in Canada there's a chance to do it differently," said Thompson, who is based in Vancouver.
Enbridge is trying to undermine the credibility of its critics, he said.
"We've known that Enbridge has an issue with those communities on the coast having the resources to undertake planning, it seems. We would assume that they are continuing to find ways to try and silence voices they don't like."
Enbridge raised $100 million just to get the project through the environmental review process, Thompson said. "The money involved here from charities is nothing compared to that," he said.
Thompson said the Moore Foundation was even a sponsor of an innovative ocean management plant in conjunction with the federal government - until Enbridge raised objections.
Documents obtained by the Canadian Press using access to information legislation confirmed the proponent expressed concerns about the Pacific North Coast Integrated Management Area, which brought together First Nations, the province, fishermen, shipping interests, tourism operators, local governments, environmentalists and the oil and gas sector to work on an ocean management plan for the B.C. coast.
