Economics drive tar sands operations. Record highs in oil prices, though still fluctuating, will make tar sand oil ‘economical’ (read: profitable) well into the future. Government subsidies to this environmentally disastrous process remain in place from a time when the federal government was sponsoring research into the possibility of recovering this oil. Stock prices of tar sands developers grow the more conventional oil is scarce.
Commentary
A licence to pollute dressed up in rhetorical petticoats
JEFFREY SIMPSON
From Saturday's Globe and Mail
January 26, 2008 at 12:00 AM EST
Canada's conventional oil supplies are running down. They are being replaced with oil from Alberta's tar sands.
Each barrel of tar-sands oil produces two to three times more greenhouse-gas emissions than a barrel of conventional oil. The result is obvious: Greenhouse-gas emissions from Alberta oil have been rising.
Prince Rupert Harbour development threatens 10,000 years of Coast Tsimshian
history and thousands of human remains
PRINCE RUPERT (January 24, 2008) - The Allied Tribes of the Coast Tsimshian
struggle to protect the 10,000 years of history and thousands of human
remains that are threatened by development around the Prince Rupert Harbour,
says the Honourable Iona Campagnolo.
Campagnolo, the former Lieutenant-Governor of British Columbia, who
moderated a three-day seminar on Prince Rupert Harbour Archaeological
January 16, 2008
Feds expand temporary foreign worker pilot project
21 occupations added to expedited labour market opinion program
PAID ADVERTISEMENT
Custom Handbook
The federal government has added 21 occupations to the expedited labour market opinion (E-LMO) pilot project, which makes it faster for employers in British Columbia and Alberta to hire foreign workers.
Airport passenger numbers still growing
By CHUCK CHIANG
Today staff
Tuesday January 22, 2008
If the Fort McMurray Airport seems more crowded than ever these days, it’s because that is exactly what’s happening, according to the latest passenger numbers.
The airport saw 559,059 passengers either board or get off scheduled commercial flights last year, a record high and 34 per cent higher than 2006’s 415,965 figure.
Airport officials said the pace of growth has surprised even them, noting that passenger numbers only reached 106,768 ten years ago.
Odour problem fix will cost $200M, Suncor says
Firebag output to be expanded
Reuters; With files from Canwest News Service
CALGARY - Suncor Energy Inc. says clearing up odour problems at its Firebag thermal oilsands operations near Fort McMurray will cost about $200 million, but it hopes to complete the work later this year, allowing it to boost output at the site.
Deline says no to further uranium development
Guy Quenneville
Northern News Services
Published Monday, January 21, 2008
FORT FRANKLIN - The Deline Land Corp. will oppose all future uranium development in its district until outstanding issues having to do with the old Port Radium mine are resolved, the organization announced recently.
A different kind of climate politics is needed
Environment Minister Baird even copied his Washington mentors by holding out to the last minute and then dramatically withdrawing his objections so that the vote could be unanimous.
by Ian Angus
January 16, 2008
“We are ending up with something so watered down there was no need for 12,000 people to gather here in Bali to have a watered-down text. We could have done that by email.” —Dr. Angus Friday, Chair of the Alliance of Small Island States
TIME FOR US TO SAY 'NO MORE OIL FOR WAR' TO US
RICARDO ACUÑA / ualberta.ca/parkland
There are few things we progressive Albertans enjoy more than the opportunity to take a holier-than-thou attitude towards the United States.
Selling out sovereignty in orbit and the North
Jan 22, 2008 04:30 AM
Michael Byers
Stephen Harper talks a fine game on Arctic sovereignty. He's told Canadians that we need to "use it or lose it." He's publicly berated U.S. Ambassador David Wilkins over the status of the Northwest Passage. He's even promised to build a deepwater dock on northern Baffin Island and ice-strengthened patrol vessels for the Canadian Navy.
Premier tells U.S. that environmental toll from oilsands is a "myth"
5 days ago
WASHINGTON - Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach asked American business leaders Wednesday not to buy into the "myth" that oilsands production comes at too high an environmental cost, saying attempts to curtail it "don't make sense."
But he faced disbelieving protesters at every turn on the first day of his trade visit to the United States, including about 35 environmentalists who passed out flyers to guests arriving at a Canadian embassy reception.
