Health

Canadian Natives Get U.S. Support

Alexandra Paul, Winnipeg Free Press

Canadian First Nations chiefs say aboriginal affairs advisers to U.S.
president-elect Barack Obama told them Thursday the new administration
will be in their corner in their push for aboriginal rights.

In a 20-minute meeting in Washington, the advisers suggested to the
assembly of chiefs from Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and the United
States that the new administration could support their push for more
control over oil and mineral resources.

Oilsands companies have PR problem: survey
By Dave Cooper, edmontonjournal.com
January 8, 2009

EDMONTON - Oilsands producers have received the word from the public — half don't believe what they are being told.

An industry-funded poll released Thursday found a lot of mistrust among respondents in Edmonton and Toronto. However, Edmontonians were generally more favourable towards the industry than Torontonians, particularly on questions around environmental responsibility.

Dear Friends,

The Indigenous Environmental Network and Rainforest Action Network
produced this statement in response to a lobby effort in Washington DC
tomorrow by Treaty One Chiefs of Manitoba regarding the Enbridge Alberta
Clipper and the TransCanada Keystone Project. In this communication you
will find our press statement that focuses on providing an Alberta First
Nations perspective on the issue, as well as the advisory that was sent
out by Treaty One Chiefs of Manitoba on December 31, 2008. Please
distribute this to your lists far and wide.

Syncrude facing private prosecution over dead ducks
CAROLINE ALPHONSO
Globe and Mail Update
January 7, 2009

An Alberta resident launched a private prosecution against one of the country's largest oils-sands' operators, alleging that it was responsible for killing 500 ducks at its northern Alberta facility last spring.

Jeh Custer, a member of the Sierra Club Canada, commenced legal action in Edmonton Wednesday against Syncrude Canada Ltd. He said that if nothing was done, such practices by oil companies would continue without consequences.

The Costly Compromises of Oil From Sand
by IAN AUSTEN
Published: January 6, 2009
New York Times

OTTAWA — The oil that is extracted from Canadian dirt is being portrayed as saving America from energy dependence on the unstable Middle East, or an environmental catastrophe in the making — depending on the perspective.

The Conservative government of Canada, led by Prime Minister Stephen Harper, has championed the industry.

Syncrude worker found dead at Mildred Lake site

Updated: Thu Jan. 01 2009 18:47:13

ctvedmonton.ca

It was a tragic end to 2008 for a Syncrude employee in northern Alberta. The worker was found unconscious at Syncrude's Mildred Lake upgrader at about 10:30 Wednesday morning.

He was discovered on a catwalk in the Hydro Processing area of the upgrader. He was rushed to hospital in Fort McMurray where he was pronounced dead.

Occupational Health and Safety is investigating. A provincial government spokesperson says it appears the employee was struck by a piece of falling ice.

WANING of the BOOM
Once the dream factory for 24,000 mobile workers, Fort McMurray's slowdown may be most devastating for the communities across Canada who export them.
GORDON PITTS
December 29, 2008

FORT McMURRAY, ALTA. -- Hungry young tradesmen like Evan Brewer used to be as plentiful on the ground in Fort McMurray as chips at the Boomtown Casino. They'd get off the plane from Atlantic Canada and score big money in the oil sands.

The cold truth about climate change

Deniers continue to insist there's no consensus on global warming. Well,
there's not. There's well-tested science and real-world observations.

By Joseph Romm

Feb. 27, 2008 | The more I write about global warming, the more I realize I
share some things in common with the doubters and deniers who populate the
blogosphere and the conservative movement. Like them, I am dubious about the
process used by the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to
write its reports. Like them, I am skeptical of the so-called consensus on

Superior refinery expansion at center of Great Lakes debate
By Dan Egan/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Superior Telegram
Published Friday, December 26, 2008

SUPERIOR — There is indeed a growing awareness of just how precious the Great Lakes are — and will be — in a century in which many are predicting fresh water will become more coveted than oil.

The significance of this can’t be underestimated for a system of linked lakes that hold 20 percent of the world’s fresh surface water and 90 percent of the nation’s.

Native leaders say climate affecting caribou populations
ALLIANCE: Indigenous groups want to participate in global warming talks.
By ARTHUR MAX
The Associated Press
December 23rd, 2008

POZNAN, Poland -- Chief Bill Erasmus of the Dene nation in northern Canada brought a stark warning about the climate crisis: The once abundant herds of caribou are dwindling, rivers are running lower and the ice is too thin to hunt on.