Wiebo Ludwig’s obituary by Andrew Nikiforuk

The Death of the Reverend, Andrew Nikiforuk wrote the book on Wiebo Ludwig. Now he writes his obituary by Andrew Nikiforuk, April 11, 2012, TheTyee.ca
Contrary to expectations Ludwig did not pick this particular battle. For years he civilly tried to get authorities in Alberta to recognize the dangers and risks that the sour gas industry routinely imposes on rural people. … The extreme actions of Ludwig, the RCMP and EnCana Corporation all played a role in the tragic death of 16-year-old Karman Willis. … In 2008 his family again became the focus of another multi-million dollar police investigation when a group of anonymous bombers targeted EnCana’s aggressive shale gas plays in British Columbia just a half hour away from Ludwig’s home. It was North America’s first war against hydraulic fracturing and it started with a warning letter addressed to EnCana that read, “You simply can’t win this fight because you are on the wrong side of the argument.” Attacks on pipelines, a well head and a facility shack prompted a massive investigation led by Canada’s anti-terrorist Integrated Security Enforcement Team (INSET). Despite 250 investigators combing several provinces (many landowners near Dawson Creek and Tom’s Lake were treated like Taliban suspects) and EnCana’s offer of a $500,000 reward, no bomber was ever found. … Ludwig, who died at the age of 70, will be remembered as a complicated and often angry man who raised unsettling questions about individual rights, corporate power, police methods and government accountability in a petro state.
French Translation