Shell Canada's $600K donation to Dalhousie University spurs protest

A group of Dalhousie University students raised a "Shellhousie" flag on campus Tuesday afternoon to protest the school's close relationship with oil and gas companies.

Divest Dal opposes the university's decision to accept $600,000 from Shell Canada, $100,000 of which is dedicated to offshore exploration.

"This demonstrates that our school's relationship with the fossil fuel industry is problematically close," said Emma Halupka, a Dal environmental science student and group organizer.

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"The school is now beholden to an industry."

She said her group is committed to challenging the university's move to invest in climate crisis rather than climate progress.

The flag raised in the Dalhousie Quad bears the Shell logo intertwined with the Dalhousie crest.

Halupka calls the deal a "contract" rather than a gift because it restricts how the funding is used.

The $100,000 is slated for an offshore energy fund that will provide student training related to oil and gas exploration and development.

"What we should be doing is divesting and leaving the oil in the ground," Halupka said.

In November, Dalhousie's board of governors rejected the group's request to divest its endowment fund of oil and gas industry contributions.

Today's flag protest shows Divest Dal will continue to fightthat decision, member Bethany Hindmarsh said.

"If the board of governors thought we would go away after November, they were wrong."