It is falsely assumed that big projects equal lots of jobs and, by extension, labour peace if not outright satisfaction. The size and scope of the tarsands means for incredibly dangerous work conditions-- some fatalities at the plants have already occurred. The products seldom get their "value added" in union-run locations, instead the heavy bitumen can be shipped to many different locations across North America for refining, denying benefits to the union. However, the Union does not represent the "guest worker", now being imported in increasing numbers as legislation is changed to make access easier, the term of exploitation last longer, without any new efforts or pathways to deciding to stay after helping tear up the earth.
Late-day selloff sinks TSX
STEVE LADURANTAYE
Globe and Mail Update
October 27, 2008
A late-day selloff in financial, energy and mining stocks pushed the S&P/TSX to a deep loss Monday, even as commodities recovered from earlier losses.
The S&P/TSX tumbled 8.1 per cent, or 756.75 points, to 8,537.34 points, its lowest close in four years. Manulife Financial, which may need to raise capital to appease regulators, led the downward charge with a loss of 15.3 per cent.
VANCOUVER, B.C. — Activists met in Vancouver Sunday to talk strategy around
resisting the 2010 Winter Olympic Games.
While opposition to the Games has been steady since before Vancouver won
them in 2003, protests are usually connected to a single of the many issues
around them.
But dozens gathered at the one-day conference to focus on converging
Canada's diverse activist community under one banner for the Games.
"It's important to use to connect with each other," said conference
participant Phillipa Ryan.
"Our humanity needs to be respected."
Keep in mind: Nexen waste burning "co-generation" will create up to EIGHT TIMES the C02 and other greenhouse gas emissions footprint of a regular pump jack.
--M
Long Lake partners praised for efforts
Calgary Herald
October 26, 2008
All but 10 per cent of the water is to be recycled. The project will have ponds, but not giant tailings ponds like those at mining projects such as Syncrude Canada, Suncor Energy and Shell's Athabasca Oil Sands Project.
Quick Sand: Credit Crunch and Falling Oil Hit Oil-Sands Projects
October 24, 2008, Wall Street Journal
Posted by Keith Johnson
From Canada, more signs that the oil industry is starting to feel pinched.
Two big Canadian oil-sands producers are delaying oil-production projects and scaling back capital expenditure. Suncor and Petro-Canada both pushed back plans to install “upgraders” that can turn tar sands into crude oil.
Canada oil sands slowdown may halt runaway costs
10.24.08
Canada - By Jeffrey Jones
CALGARY, Alberta (Reuters) - A slowdown in spending on multibillion-dollar projects to develop Canada's oil sands, one of the world's largest deposits of crude, should help cure one ailment the industry has so far been unable to shake: runaway inflation.
Enbridge weighs stake for aboriginals
From Herald News Services
Published: Saturday, October 25, 2008
Enbridge Inc. is considering offering aboriginal groups an equity stake in its planned 525,000-barrel-a-day Northern Gateway oilsands export pipeline in order to secure support for the project, a company official said Friday.
Enbridge, Canada's No. 2 pipeline company, is still working out details of how large a stake it would offer to native communities along the pipeline's route. As well, it has to firm up how any such stake would be financed.
Hunker down, happy hour is over
October 16, 2008
Back in the summer, Randy Eresman, the meticulous engineer who runs the country's largest energy company, sat down in a brown leather chair and talked about how Breaking Up is Hard to Do. EnCana Corp.'s executive group was drawing two lists - who would stay, and who would go to the new oil spinoff. And it was tough.
"It's going to be a sad day when we actually end up splitting and moving people apart that have worked together for a very long period of time," he said.
Trillions of dollars' worth of oil
High Stakes in Canada’s Vast Oil-Sands Fields
George Tombs, The Christian Science Monitor
The relentless search for oil has led explorers to the boreal forest of northeastern Alberta, among the jack pines and black spruce trees an hour's drive from the boom town of Fort McMurray. Kelly Hansen, operations manager at ConocoPhillips's $1 billion Surmont oil-sands plant, holds up the prize: a beaker of sticky black “synbit,” a 50-50 blend of bitumen (a viscous, tarlike petroleum) and synthetic oil.
Nexen, Opti delay decision on next oil sands phase
Mon Oct 20, 2008 1:22pm EDT
CALGARY, Alberta, Oct 20 (Reuters) - Nexen Inc and Opti Canada Inc have postponed a decision to expand their new Long Lake, Alberta, oil sands project, citing the financial market crisis and uncertainty over costs to curb carbon emissions, a Nexen official said on Monday.
The partners in the C$6.1 billion ($5.1 billion) development, which is now in start-up mode, had expected to decide by the end of this year whether to begin work on twinning the project.
Hopefully this can begin a discussion about what activists resisting the largest project in human history and the second largest oil deposit on the planet will do when the state sees us as dangerously effective.
