The Village of Cumberland will be working with other local governments in suing Big Oil.
The decision came at the Village’s council meeting on Monday, where mayor and council voted unanimously to allocate a dollar per resident and to help bring in a class action lawsuit against global fossil fuel companies.
The lawsuit is part of the Sue Bil Oil Campaign, which aims to get a fair share of the communities’ climate costs. For the Village, they recently borrowed $2.5 million to make the water system more climate resilient.
Member of the Comox Valley Sue Big Oil team Sherry Westrop says she wants the community to be safe from climate impacts in the future.
“Our village is vulnerable to heat waves and wildfires, and with such a small tax base, we can’t afford the skyrocketing costs of climate change alone,” said Westrop.
Team leader Theresa Clinton praises Cumberland for taking the step, and they urge Courtenay, Comox, and the Comox Valley Regional District to join in on the lawsuit.
With Cumberland’s vote, it has become the ninth municipality to join the campaign, and the third one on Vancouver Island.
The other two are Qualicum Beach and View Royal.
