The Health implications in terms of these projects are vast, and not just the deadly explosions and industrial accidents that happen in production-—from reported increases in rare forms of cancer downstream from tar sands production to the pollution of fresh water leading to poisoned diets (fish, moose and plant toxicity)—-direct links are hard to establish but impossible to either rule out or ignore, especially where tarsand operations constitute overwhelmingly the greatest change to the environment in most corners of the continent effected directly by tarsand infrastructure.
Alberta Health Board Fires Doctor Who Raised Cancer Alarms
'I am stunned,' says Dr. John O'Connor, a veteran presence in First Nations community.
By Andrew Nikiforuk, 11 May 2015, TheTyee.ca
An Alberta health board has fired Dr. John O'Connor, the physician who came to national prominence after raising questions about rare cancers in the tarsands region.
The Nunee Health Board Society send O'Connor a letter last Friday saying it no longer required his professional services.
Bunker (Fuel) Down
Oil Spill on Beaches of World’s ‘Greenest City’
by MACDONALD STAINSBY
Vancouver, British Columbia, Coast Salish Territories
Weekend edition, April 10-12, 2015
Grassroots Dene people defending the land in northern Saskatchewan
By Scott Neigh
| March 25, 2015
On this week's episode of Talking Radical Radio, I speak with Don Montgrand and Candyce Paul. They are grassroots Dene people living in northern Saskatchewan, and they talk with me about the Northern Dene Trappers Alliance and its efforts to defend the land and to defend the Dene people in the face of companies and governments pushing predatory resource extraction.
Quebec students launch anti-austerity, pro-environment 'social strike' and movement
By Roger Annis
March 25, 2015
Rabble Blog
Post-secondary students across Quebec have launched a “social strike” and protest movement opposing hikes in tuition fees and other austerity measures of the Quebec provincial government. They are also condemning the destructive environmental policies of the Canadian and Quebec governments.
Environmentalists ask Chicago mayor to investigate BP oil spill
By Tara Kadioglu Post-Tribune
March 25, 2015
Environmentalist claim heavy oil leak was tar sands
Environmental activists delivered a letter to Mayor Rahm Emanuel Wednesday demanding a public report and investigation into at least 1,600 gallons of heavy crude oil spilled into Lake Michigan last year from BP's Whiting refinery.
BP confirms oil spill into Lake Michigan from Whiting refinery
Environment: Canadian Citizen groups say new tar sands rules too weak to protect the Athabasca River
Posted on March 14, 2015
by Bob Berwyn
Staff Report
FRISCO — A set of proposed new water rules has unleashed a storm of protest in Canada, where citizen and conservation groups charge that the government is giving away the store to energy companies exploiting the tar sans of Alberta.
Koch brothers' tar sands connection revealed
U.S. billionaire duo's huge stake in northern Alberta fields more than Conoco, Exxon and Chevron put together
by Enzo DiMatteo
March 4, 2015
A map released by the San Francisco-based International Forum on Globalization (IFG) shows that the U.S. billionaire Koch brothers own more of the Alberta tar sands, some 890,000 hectares (2 million acres), than oil and gas giants Exxon, Chevron and Conoco combined.
Chicago's Petcoke Woes Are Far From Over
Mayor Rahm Emanuel banned new or expanded refineries that produce the stuff, but the Southeast side is still dealing with what's already there.
Sarah Goodyear
May 19, 2014
Protesters rally in Marktown against BP
May 17, 2014
EAST CHICAGO — Michelle BarlondSmith of Battle Creek, Mich., has been living with the aftereffects of the Enbridge oil spill for three years, nine months and 24 days, and her community is still not whole.
Canada’s $207,000 oil sands ad: Putting a price on deception
Eric Reguly
The Globe and Mail
Published Friday, May. 09 2014
The ad in The New Yorker is pretty, if not quite arresting. The full-page photo on the inside back cover – prime real estate in the United States’ leading upmarket magazine – features a pristine river meandering through a lush mountain valley, untouched by humanity. It is not a tourism ad. It is designed to convince influential Americans that the Keystone XL pipeline is environmentally safe, even desirable.
