By Roy L Hales
The battle to save the Peace River Valley is not over. First Nations and local farmers are continuing the fight in court. Though Premier Clark’s government intends to destroy the existing ecosystem to “the point of no return,” in the weeks to come the Canadian government decides whether to issue new Site C permits.
Continue reading Government Decides Whether To Issue New Site C PermitsBy Roy L Hales
While Canada’s political leaders toy with the idea of expanding the pipeline infrastructure out of Alberta, average global temperatures reached a record high in 2015 and are expected to be even warmer in 2016. According to Dr Kirsten Zickfeld, of Simon Fraser University, “We are already close to 1.5 degrees.”
Continue reading We Are Already Close to 1.5 DegreesBy Roy L Hales
Though some are shocked by revelations that the Prime Minister has made the Energy East and Trans Mountain pipeline projects a priority, this is not inconsistent with the views he has expressed in the past. Trudeau has not deceived us.
Continue reading Trudeau Has Not Deceived UsBy Roy L Hales
Prior to his election as Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau promised that the National Energy Board hearings on the proposed Kinder Morgan’s proposed Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion would not go forward. We need a new review process, which both focuses on science and seeks social license in the areas where projects like this are being suggested. That changed after his election. The hearings resumed and, sometime before May 20, the National Energy Board is expected to recommend the Trans Mountain project be approved. If the Prime Minister agrees, there will be a seven-fold increase of diluted bitument coming through the most populated area of British Columbia. In anticipation of the proposed pipeline, the province of British Columbia is drawing up legislation for “world-leading provincial spills regime.” This is the backdrop for the ECOreport’s Monday, April 11, program on CKTZ: Bitumen sinks and is almost impossible to clean up.
Continue reading Bitumen Sinks & Is Almost Impossible to Clean Up
Though Justin Trudeau promised to fix Canada’s broken environmental assessment process during the last election, yesterday his government gave another signal this may not happen. Catherine McKenna, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, announced “that the proposed Woodfibre LNG Project, located near Squamish, British Columbia, is not likely to cause significant adverse environmental effects.” Critics point to flaws in the analysis of impacts to herring stocks and the province’s rising emissions, suggesting McKenna Made the wrong call on Woodfibre LNG
