Short Term Gain, Long Term Ecological Pain

July 9, 2008 10:00 AM

The tar sands: Investing for short-term gain, long-term eco-disaster

India is considering investing up to $10 billion dollars in Canada’s tar sands. This is yet another case of one country wanting to make a financial killing while helping to kill a distant ecosystem. But on a small planet where pollution from one place can have an impact on a region thousands of kilometres away and our fragile atmosphere is a shared space, nations and companies must wake up to their responsibilities.

Dirty Oil Raises its head

‘Dirty Oil’ raises its head at an odd time

BY GEORGE ABRAHAM

8 July 2008

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With the price at the gas pump at record highs, could there be anything like “Dirty Oil”? Yes, there might well be, going by a resolution passed by an assembly of American mayors in Miami late last month.

While the mayors appear to have been targeting the environmental impact of a mixed bag of fossil fuels, oil originating in the Canadian province of Alberta — analogous to the Abu Dhabi’s dominant share in the UAE’s exports — came in for particular mention.

“The production of tar sands oil from Canada emits approximately three times the carbon dioxide pollution per barrel as does conventional oil production and significantly damages Canada’s Boreal forest ecosystem — the world’s largest carbon storehouse,” said the resolution. As if that was not enough, the Democratic nominee for the American presidential elections, Barack Obama, came out swinging in the same week against what he called “a 19th century fossil fuel that is dirty, dwindling, and dangerously expensive.”

Canada is Greener, Or is It?

The Grass is Not Greener in Canada. Or is it?

This was the Canadian flag until 1965. Found at the blog No Fixed Address.

I was quite pleased by the interesting discussion that ensued in the comments box on my 4th of July posting. There were many really informative and insightful comments. I am quite fortunate and thankful to have the readers and commenters that I do. You guys rock!

I was also discovered to be a wannabe Canadian. Well, as Elaine said in her comment, “I kinda suspected that from your previous posts.” I’m sure she’s not the only one. But I wasn’t the only American discovered as a wannabe Canadian. There were at least two others who expressed similar sentiments. Rich humorously (but at least half seriously, I’m thinking) quipped that July 4th is “the day I like to pretend I’m Canadian.” And Christine wrote (among other very insightful comments on the post) of her own thoughts about emigration over the years.

Duck Probe Moves to More Secrecy

Time for Canada to take a Hard Look at Environmental Record

Historic eco-decline sends sobering message

Canadians need to take a hard look at events that continue to unfold

Frants Attorp

Special to Times Colonist

Monday, June 30, 2008

It’s time to rewrite Canada’s history books. Not because our children shouldn’t learn about Louis Riel, the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway or the two world wars, but because the most significant events — the ones that eclipse all others — happened just recently and continue to unfold.

THESE INCLUDE:

– The collapse of the East Coast cod fishery. Five hundred years ago, explorer John Cabot returned to England from the Grand Banks with news that codfish ran so thick they could be scooped up in wicker baskets. He had discovered the most amazing fishing grounds the world had ever seen, waters so teeming with life that many colonies were established just to harvest the incredible bounty.

Premier says Canada has supported U.S. war efforts, so don’t snub Alberta oil

June 27, 2008 – 3:24 pm

By: THE CANADIAN PRESS

EDMONTON – Premier Ed Stelmach says Canada has “protected the backs” of Americans in several wars, and U.S. politicians should consider that before rejecting what some have called dirty oil from Alberta’s oilsands.

Stelmach says Canada and the United States have been together in both world wars and are currently side by side in the Middle East and Afghanistan.

Greenjobs are the Future for Alberta and Saskatchewan

Dion’s plan targets oil-rich provinces

Tax to hit Alberta, Saskatchewan hard

CAROLINE ALPHONSO

From Friday’s Globe and Mail

June 27, 2008 at 4:00 AM EDT

TORONTO — Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion says 40 per cent of Canada’s carbon emissions come from Alberta and Saskatchewan and the two western provinces will have to do the most to change their habits under his new green plan. But he said it will be good for them – and he’s taking that message to the Calgary Stampede next weekend.

“If we do this plan, Alberta and Saskatchewan will be better off 10 years from now than if we don’t do this plan,” Mr. Dion said. “Their economies will be more diversified, their universities will be at the centre of something big happening around the world, and investments will grow.”

He rejected the notion that the two highest polluting provinces having to contend with a greater carbon tax burden could result in Western alienation.

Enlarge ImageLiberal leader Stéphane Dion announces his carbon tax plan in Ottawa on June 19. (Tom Hanson/The Canadian Press)

“To do the right thing will be beneficial for them,” Mr. Dion told The Globe and Mail’s editorial board. “I care about Alberta and Saskatchewan. I know many people who want to do the right thing. Many will know that it will create jobs there – green jobs.”

Tar Sands Destruction Set to Grow

Alberta Tar Sands to Increase Output 250% Over Next 10 Years

by Michael Graham Richard, Gatineau, Canada on 06.18.08

Science & Technology (alternative energy)

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Alberta Tar Sands
Not all barrels of oil are created equal. Some take more energy and more water to get out of the ground than others, and tar sands, aka bituminous sands or extra heavy oil, are at the “extra dirty” end of the spectrum. So it’s not exactly good news for the environment to learn that a significant portion of the strong demand for oil in the next 10 years will be met by hydrocarbons from Alberta.

We will Apologize Again….Later

Vuepoint – We’ll apologize again later

SCOTT HARRIS / scott@vueweekly.com

Of the multitude of shameful actions in the history of Canada, the federal Indian Residential Schools system, which saw some 150 000 Aboriginal, Inuit and Métis children forcibly removed from their communities and put into federally run schools, surely ranks as one of the most egregious.

So the recent steps by the federal government, however tentative, to atone for this century-long attempt at cultural genocide are long overdue and welcome. The elements of the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement, including a $2 billion compensation package for survivors, the establishment of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the Jun 11 official apology by the Government of Canada show that the government has at least begun to recognize the scale of a crime which continued until 1996, when the Gordon Residential School in Saskatchewan finally closed.

But while the federal government is busily making apologies and amends for this historic injustice, we as a nation continue to ignore and even compound the numerous contemporary injustices faced by Aboriginal peoples. It’s a reality which suggests that, like a child who offers an apology to a wronged sibling only at the urging of their parents, we haven’t really internalized what it is that we’ve done wrong in any meaningful way.