Oil Sands Truth: Shut Down the Tar Sands

Health

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.

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Portrait of a boomtown

Portrait of a boomtown
Oil-sands projects bring big money, big headaches to remote Alberta city
By ED KEMMICK Of The Gazette Staff [Montana]

FORT McMURRAY, Alberta - On the outskirts of this town in northern Alberta, a billboard is plastered with the logos of a dozen or more trade unions. Underneath it reads: "This is what a union town looks like. Welcome to Fort McMurray."

This is also what a boom town looks like: heavy traffic everywhere, buildings going up all over town, help-wanted signs on every other marquee. Some people have taken to calling it Fort McMoney.

EnCana, ConocoPhillips proceed with refinery expansion

The Canadian Press

September 24, 2008 at 7:06 AM EDT

CALGARY — — EnCana Corp. [ECA-T]and partner ConocoPhillips [COP-N] said Wednesday they are starting construction this month on an expansion at the Wood River refinery in Roxana, Ill.

The coker and refinery project is expected to cost $3.6-billion (U.S.) over three years, half from each company, to increase bitumen-based production for the U.S. Midwest market.

Protesters disrupt Olympic Spirit Train kickoff

Protesters disrupt Olympic Spirit Train kickoff
By Ian Austin, Vancouver Province
Published: Sunday, September 21, 2008

Police arrested two people Sunday as protesters armed with placards, air horns and megaphones overpowered the kickoff of the Canadian Pacific Spirit Train in Port Moody.

Shouting "Homes, no games!" and drowning out the scheduled entertainment, the noisy protesters chanted for more than an hour. The performers continually turned up the volume, but were eventually unable to proceed.

Departure of Olympic 'Spirit Train' met with protesters in B.C.

PORT MOODY, B.C. - The departure of a cross-country rail trip designed to boost enthusiasm for the Vancouver 2010 Olympics is being overshadowed by noisy protesters.

About three dozen protesters attempted to drown out a ceremony in Port Moody, B.C., held to mark the departure of the Canadian Pacific (TSX:CP) Spirit Train.

There were scuffles with police as officers tried to hold the protesters back, and one man was arrested and carried away by his arms and legs.

Cutting Deadly Sulphur Dioxide Emissions Costing Syncrude Billions

Sulphur costs rise at Syncrude
Herald News Services
September 20, 2008

Oilsands - Syncrude Canada Ltd.'s cost for installing equipment to cut emissions of deadly sulphur dioxide has more than doubled to $1.6 billion, the joint-venture's biggest shareholder said Friday.

Canadian Oil Sands Trust, which owns 36.7 per cent of Syncrude, said the cost of the project to retrofit two upgraders with equipment to cut output of sulphur and other particles by 60 per cent had risen from its previous $772-million estimate because of delays and rising labour and material costs.

County readies for Code Red, still seeing black (Keystone)

County readies for Code Red, still seeing black
By Janet Morales
Moberly Monitor-Index
Fri Sep 19, 2008, Moberly, Mo.

The Randolph County Commission is working with the City of Moberly to implement a countywide Code Red program. In May 22, the Moberly City Council approved a contract with Emergency Communications Network, Inc. to provide Code Red service to the city. The high-speed notification system was purchased at a cost of $7,500 to make emergency and other critical community alerts to residents within the Moberly city limits.

Dead forest standing-- Greenwashing a tar sands sacrifice zone

Issues - Dead forest standing
Greenwashing a tar sands sacrifice zone
MACDONALD STAINSBY / oilsandstruth.org

The famous Hollywood movie Dead Man Walking made common parlance of the term for a person on death row leaving his cell for the last time, heading for execution. The person about to be executed will walk towards where they will take their last breath, and “dead man walking” is a term about those last steps.

No Games on Stolen Native Land! Panel on 2010, tar sands and call to disrupt the "Spirit Train" (September 27 & 29)

Full Call Out Here:
http://lists.oilsandstruth.org/pipermail/ost-announce/2008-September/000...

No Games on Stolen Native Land! Panel on 2010, tar sands and call to disrupt the "Spirit Train" (September 27 & 29)

On September 29th, 2008 (Monday), the 2010 Olympic Winter Games "Spirit
Train" will be coming to Edmonton, Alberta. A call out has been issued
by the Olympics Resistance Network.

On September 27, 2008, several speakers from indigenous communities who
are being adversely effected on unceded territories in "British

Discussion Points on a Moratorium

Discussion Points on a Moratorium
No New Approvals-- of what?
July 29, 2008

Young workers at risk on the job in Alberta

Young workers at risk on the job in Alberta
Province addresses concerns raised in study of injury rates
Kelly Cryderman, Calgary Herald
Published: Friday, August 22, 2008

The Alberta government is worried about significantly higher injury rates among young workers compared to their older counterparts -- figures that are revealed in a detailed new report.