Suzuki Foundation accused of using misleading American photos to portray B.C. gas projects

OTTAWA — The David Suzuki Foundation has repeatedly used false and alarmist imagery to exaggerate the ecological impacts of natural gas development in northeastern British Columbia, a new complaint to Canada’s Competition Bureau alleges. The complaint, put forward by eight B.C. residents, says that the Vancouver-based environmental charity repeatedly misled the public by using an aerial image depicting a dense cluster of natural gas wells scarring a landscape in Wyoming , taken in 2006, to falsely depict modern natural gas development in British Columbia’s northeast. “(T)he Wyoming image paints a picture (that is) dirty, desolate and packed with natural gas well pads, as opposed the reality of a green area where natural gas development takes place around farms and public infrastructure,” reads the complaint. The 11-page complaint includes multiple screenshots of foundation materials that use the Wyoming photo, dating back to 2019. In one case, the foundation included text acknowledging the photo was from Wyoming, but it did not do so in other cases, the complaint alleges. One June 2024 Instagram post, for example, uses the image to promote an investigative report into the Montney Formation in northeastern B.C. and northwestern Alberta, a region that accounts for roughly half of Canada’s natural gas production . The foundation continued to use the image after being made aware of concerns surrounding its use that summer, according to the complaint. The complaint also says the outdated image fails to reflect present-day horizontal drilling techniques being used to extract natural gas from the Montney Formation. “Many horizontal drills can be performed from one site, taking away any need for the densely packed wells shown in the Wyoming image used by David Suzuki Foundation.” Deena Del Giusto, one of the complainants, said in a statement to the media that the principle of truth in advertising should apply equally to charities. “This is about fairness and truth. The people of Northeast B.C. … deserve honest debate, not scare tactics and misleading imagery used to raise millions in donations,” said Del Giusto, a resident of Fort St. John, B.C. “We’re asking the Competition Bureau to hold the David Suzuki Foundation to the same standard businesses face: tell the truth.” Del Giusto told the National Post she was inspired to take action when a client of hers in the trucking industry brought the foundation’s use of the image to her attention. “I just didn’t feel like it fairly reflected what was happening in the community, and felt strongly that I needed to do something about it,” said Del Giusto. Representatives from the David Suzuki Foundation did not immediately respond to National Post questions about the Competition Bureau complaint. The complaint also claims that the Wyoming image has in several instances appeared in close proximity to messages soliciting donations to the foundation. “It is clear that (the image) is being used … to benefit the organization through donations.” The group is asking that the foundation to issue a corrective notice informing the public of its deceptive practices and pay a fine of up to $15,000,000 per offence. The environmental charity raised $12.1 million in Canadian donations and $38,000 from abroad last year, according to publicly available filings . It has roughly $22.5 million in reserve funds, of which $8.9 million are donor-endowed. The registered national charity is headquartered in Vancouver, with offices in Toronto and Montreal. National Post rmohamed@postmedia.com Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark nationalpost.com and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here.