By David Boles, St Albert Gazette, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
An unexpected opponent has emerged against the new AI data centre project that is planned to be built north of Edmonton.
Amnesty International Canada is opposing the project by Meta, which is anticipated to take up an area larger than Vancouver’s Stanley Park in Sturgeon County.
Continue reading Human rights group Amnesty International calls out Meta data centre project in Sturgeon County
By Anushka Yadav, The Pointer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
In 2021, a year before she would become Premier, Danielle Smith described on a podcast for the Alberta Enterprise Group, which lobbies on behalf of the oil industry, how she came to work for the organization.
She had been recruited by a large organization that lobbies for the cattle production industry and said she liked their approach because “they recruited people from the energy sector; in fact, our chair was an oilman.”
At the time, Smith was aggressively lobbying the provincial government on behalf of the Alberta Enterprise Group, trying to convince politicians that part of a proposed $20 billion taxpayer-funded incentive program should see money handed over to oil companies which would encourage them to clean up old abandoned wells, which they had failed to look after.
In 2023, a year after becoming Premier, Smith was widely accused of being in a conflict when, after working as a lobbyist for the oil sector and aggressively trying to convince Alberta politicians it was a good deal for the province, she pushed the giveaway to the industry through.
Continue reading Mark Carney’s pipeline plan shelves emissions targets
While lineups appear to have virtually disappeared since Island Nagalis took over the BC Ferries Cortes–Quadra run, there are often three-ferry waits at midday for people sailing between Quadra Island and Campbell River.
My personal experience of this comes from a trip to Campbell River on Monday, June 28. The lineup to leave Whaletown Terminal at 9:55 AM seemed normal, but we only filled half the ferry.
Continue reading No Lineups for Island Nagalis; Up to Three-Ferry Waits on the Campbell River Run“We’re living through a time of great disruption. The global trading system, in which we’ve long relied as a country, is being dramatically restructured. Global conflicts have sharpely increased gas and food prices around the world and right here at home. The rapid rise of artifical intelligence is beginning to transform how we live and how we work. Climate change is worsening, with bigger storms, heavier flooding, more devastating wildfires. Canadians are feeling the impacts at their kitchen tables, at the pimps and on their factory floors. The good news is that unlike many countries, we can control our future, but that will require doing things differently – movng faster, building bigger and working together. And nowhere is that more the case than energy.” – Mark Carney
The new West Coast Pipeline will closely follow the existing Trans Mountain Pipeline (TMX) route. BC has been promised billions of dollars through a new prosperity agreement, and Prime Minister Mark Carney has stepped back from Canada’s emissions targets because they are too divisive.
In this morning’s broadcast, two experts provide their insights into these matters. Jennifer Lash is a former senior analyst with Environment and Climate Change Canada and ran as a Liberal candidate in the 2025 election. She endorses the Prime Minister’s actions. Ian Sanderson, a senior analyst in the oil and gas division at the Pembina Institute, explains his reservations.
Continue reading New West Coast Pipeline, BC’s Prosperity Agreement & Canada’s Emissions Targets
By Sonal Gupta, Canada’s National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Coastal First Nations are welcoming the federal government’s commitment to keep the North Coast tanker ban in place as part of a new development deal with BC.
Prime Minister Mark Carney and BC Premier David Eby announced a nearly $20-billion agreement in Vancouver, with federal support for electricity transmission, LNG, mining, ports and transportation — while confirming the tanker ban will remain, even as Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and Carney prepare to announce details of their pipeline deal on Thursday evening.
Continue reading BC, feds reach deal on LNG that keeps tanker ban in place
