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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Industry Smokescreen to Rein in the Tarpits

Finally Canada's establishment newspaper gets it right! The proposed partial moratorium is indeed a PR greenwash smokescreen:

The Great Coal Rush and Why It Will Fail

The Great Coal Rush and Why It Will Fail
by Richard Heinberg
MuseLetter #190 (February 2008)

This MuseLetter, and several more during the next few months, will be
chapters for a forthcoming book on coal, to be published by Post Carbon
Press. This month's issue is the book's Introduction.

The world appears poised for a headlong sprint toward greater dependence
on coal. This book's purpose is to examine one crucial question that
will shape this next great coal rush: How much is left?

The answer from conventional wisdom is, Lots. Coal appears to be the

Arctic ‘Doomsday Vault’ Filled With World’s Seeds Comes to Life

Arctic ‘Doomsday Vault’ Filled With World’s Seeds Comes to Life
by Pierre-Henry Deshayes in Longyearbyen, Norway

AN Arctic “doomsday vault” filled with samples of the world’s most important seeds will be inaugurated in Norway today.

0224 03The vault aims to provide humankind with a Noah’s Ark of food in the event of a global catastrophe.

Canada-U.S. pact allows cross-border military activity

Clip:

"Are we going to see [U.S.] troops on our soil for minor potential threats
to a pipeline or a road?" he asked.

Good question, but what's our collective answer?
--M

Vancouver Sun February 23, 2008

Canada-U.S. pact allows cross-border military activity

Deal allows either country to send troops across the other's border to deal
with an emergency

David Pugliese

Canada and the U.S. have signed an agreement that paves the way for the
militaries from either nation to send troops across each other's borders

Another sex trade murder in Edmonton

The housing crisis in Alberta, as it gets more and more desperate has as it's corollary more people-- in particular young, often racialized women-- working in the survival sex trade. This, like almost everything else in Alberta, comes from the extremity of the tar sands boom with no attention paid to human or environmental cost. The woman below is likely another victim of the tar sands.

--M

Sex trade slay
Fri, February 22, 2008
RCMP need the publics help with the latest homicide
By KEVIN CRUSH, SUN MEDIA

Ottawa Citizen Op Ed on Tar Sands

Matt Price and Allan Adam

Citizen Special

Thursday, February 21, 2008
Todd Korol, Reuters

Canadians are becoming familiar with the scale of destruction in the
tarsands, something that First Nations of the region have known for some
time now.

And people around the world are learning why our country has taken such an
obstructionist role on global warming. Canada and the Bush administration
stand alone against the rest of the world because with the tarsands we are
housing the single most destructive project anywhere on Earth, and the
Americans are getting the oil.

Feds Expand TFW Programs

Ottawa expands work program
2 new offices to help ease labour needs
Feb 12, 2008 04:30 AM
Nicholas Keung
IMMIGRATION/DIVERSITY REPORTER

Ottawa is expanding the temporary foreign worker program into Ontario to help fill the province's labour needs, a move some fear could further hurt already underutilized and underpaid skilled immigrants.

Immigration Minister Diane Finley announced yesterday the opening of the program's two new offices in Toronto and Moncton, N.B., in addition to the three already established in Vancouver, Calgary and Montreal.

Excerpt from Alberta Liberals / Kevin Taft on "Labour Shortages"

Fort Chip Residents Confront Stelmach on Tar Sands Poisoning of their People

Stelmach denies governments ignoring oilsands health woes
PC leader listens to concerns from native spokesman
Darcy Henton, with files from Mike De Souza, Canwest News Service, Edmonton Journal
Published: Saturday, February 16, 2008

Just after Tory Leader Ed Stelmach derided a new report that calls Alberta's oilsands "the most destructive development on earth," he was confronted by a Mikisew Cree who's worried the megaprojects are poisoning his people.

Alberta Tar Sands Cause Acid Rain

Alta. oilsands cause acid rain
Report issued by environmental group warns of 'most destructive project on Earth'
Matthew Kruchak and James Wood, The StarPhoenix
Published: Saturday, February 16, 2008

Acid rain caused by Alberta oilsands production is pouring down on Saskatchewan and if governments don't take note, any oilsands development in this province will contribute to the "most destructive project on Earth," the Environmental Defence organization warns.