The Canadian Steel Producers Association (CSPA) is coming out firmly in support of the Harper Government’s decision to approve the Northern Gateway pipeline, with conditions (209) attached. The twin pipeline, which stretch more than 1100 km from Northern Alberta to new port facilities in Kitimat, B.C. The project is important to the CSPA because it […]
Are U.S. dollars propping up environmental groups in Canada?
$84-billion per year, that’s the potential impact the oil sands could have on the Canadian economy. The industry it could be argued is the most important economic issue we will have. The greatest hindrance to future projects appears to be the gridlock due to opposition from environmental organizations and First Nations. This gridlock has been […]
Is pipeline company prepared to haze whales?
The pipeline situation in Canada has been contentious for a while. But now, it’s getting positively weird. In the latest twist, the energy giant Kinder Morgan is proposing a novel wildlife protection scheme. If a pipeline expansion that boosts oil exports out of Vancouver leads to a massive new spill, Kinder Morgan says it knows […]
Pipeline exporting crude isn’t good for Canada, job creation
A recent opinion piece from a handful of construction unions — Northern Gateway pipeline needed to enrich us all — was long on rhetoric about the Northern Gateway pipeline and short on facts. According to the Alberta Federation of Labour, only 228 permanent jobs will be created from a pipeline opposed by 130 First Nations, […]
What category do you file this idea under?
Oil companies in Northern Alberta have used air cannons to scare birds from tailings ponds. The next step to “protecting” wildlife from being impacted by the oil industry might be setting off explosives to deter whales from swimming near any potential spill from tankers on the west coast. The Globe and Mail obtained documents outlining […]
Comment: MP Speaks out in favour of pipelines
Re: Protestors disapprove pipeline decision (The News, June 20) While pipeline protesters are ideologically opposed to resource development, I think most people will agree that the only rational way for governments to deal with major development projects is to base those decisions on facts and expert scientific advice. That is why, four years ago, the […]
Comment: The Supreme Court rules on First Nations rights and Canadians duty
A Supreme Court decision in June has better defined what is meant, and owed to First Nations bands, by the term “aboriginal title” in this country. A long-sought victory for a collection of bands in central British Columbia has obvious implications for development on Crown land in areas not covered by treaty, most obviously the […]
Comment: Northern Gateway pipeline-risk versus reward
(excerpt from Gwyn Morgan commentary) The proposed Northern Gateway project has become a flashpoint for the growing debate about the safety of oil pipelines. Yet despite the arguments put forward by its proponents and opponents, many Canadians lack a broader perspective from which to measure the risks and rewards of what would be a vital […]
Landmark ruling could impact pipeline projects and more
It was unanimous. The Supreme Court of Canada ruled 8-0 recognizing the right of the Tsilhqot’in to a specific tract of land in the B.C. Interior. The director of the Indigenous Legal Studies Program at the University of British Columbia law school says it’s too early to definitively say what the impact will be. Gordon […]
British Columbia Conservative MPs targets of protest
B.C. MP’s James Moore and Andrew Saxton are being blamed by some for the approval of the Northern Gateway pipeline by the Harper Government. Members with “Settlers on Stolen Land” slapped padlocks and chains on Saxton and Moore’s constituency offices and told the government members to leave. The protestors are angry over what they claim […]