Big Oil sponsors energy meeting

An environmental group is slamming next week's Energy and Mines Ministers Meeting in Kananaskis.

Sierra Club Canada says they can't believe the major sponsors of the event are big oil companies.

Executive Director John Bennett says the optics are bad, and it sends the wrong message to Canadians.

Bennett says the ministers' conference has three Olympic-sounding levels of sponsorship, but the ministers won't win any medals.

Companies sponsoring the four-day get together include Shell, Encana, Nexen and the Oilsands Developers Group.

RELATED:

Industry sponsorship of ministerial conference throws gasoline on a simmering fire  Calgary Herald, July 20, 2011

List of corporate sponsors raises eyebrows at energy summit  Postmedia News, July 13, 2011

Private funding for energy ministers meeting a 'corrupting influence'  Calgary Herald, July 13, 2011

Corporate sponsorship for energy meeting slammed  CBC News, July 13, 2011

No easy task for ministers to set national energy strategy in Kananaskis  Canadian Press, July 15, 2011

Read the Sierra Club Canada Media Release