Social Impacts. Overnight injections of migrant workers will not build healthy communities and can have severely adverse impacts on existing communities, especially those of indigenous nations on their traditional lands. Such development brings vices and long term displacement too often. Drugs, alcohol and associated violence spreads. Hunting becomes difficult when the land is threatened, leading to a further loss of culture and tradition. In towns like Fort McMurray there is no planning for the future, but merely consumption in the present. However transient the individuals may be, the populations will not leave, as “development” takes on a logic all its own. All levels of run away development are subordinate to that development, not social need.
TransCanada to build new pipeline to US
The TransCanada Company announced that it has been granted permission to build a USD 5.2 billion pipeline to export crude oil to the United States.
The TransCanada Company in a statement said that "The US Department of State issued a presidential permit to Keystone authorizing the construction, maintenance and operation of facilities at the United States and Canada border to transport crude oil between the two countries.”
Anthony Kovats // CAF
Tuesday March 11, 2008
The ritual is as old as the giant and enveloping forest itself.
Every spring, the shores of Lesser Slave, Peerless and North and South Wabasca Lakes explode with colour and sound as North America’s migratory songbirds return to the continent’s vast northern forest.
American robins with their robust red breasts join the cacophony of sounds generated by Tennessee, Connecticut and Canada warblers as they gorge on caterpillars and insects in the budding branches.
This is the boreal forest.
Syncrude Won't Accept Loss In Oil Sands Royalty Deal - Report
Dow Jones
March 12, 2008: 10:27 AM EST
OTTAWA -(Dow Jones)- Syncrude Canada Ltd. will only accept a new oil sands royalty deal with the Alberta government that "doesn't short-shrift shareholders," shareholder Imperial Oil Ltd. (IMO) said, the National Post reported Wednesday.
However, partners in the Syncrude consortium are prepared to negotiate a new agreement under Alberta's new oil and gas royalty scheme, Imperial's outgoing chief executive, Tim Hearn, told the newspaper.
Another hatchet job on oilsands
Industry threatens sovereignty, doc says
Gary Lamphier, The Edmonton Journal
Published: Saturday, March 15
EDMONTON - I fully expected a one-sided slag job, featuring the usual assortment of capitalist-bashing, America-loathing lefty ideologues.
I wasn't disappointed. Thursday's airing of Tar Sands: The Selling of Alberta, on CBC Television's Doc Zone, was merely the latest in a string of sensationalist hatchet jobs on Alberta's key industry, courtesy of the national media.
Oilsands emissions could triple under Conservative plan
Mike De Souza, Canwest News Service
Published: Friday, March 14, 2008
Meantime, Environment Canada has confirmed that millions of tonnes of pollution from small facilities will be exempt for companies in sectors such as oil and gas, natural gas pipelines, electricity, chemicals and fertilizers.
IN THE MAIL: Pipeline can and must be stopped
Grand Forks Herald
Published Wednesday, March 12, 2008
GRAND FORKS — The Keystone oil pipeline should not be built in the location where the state Public Service Commission has given permission to begin construction.
The oil sands omerta
Norval Scott, March 12, 2008 at 3:58 PM EDT
According to oil executives speaking at the World Heavy Oil Congress
in Edmonton this week, a big challenge for the oil sands industry is
to overcome adverse public perceptions of their work. To a man, the
Canadian representatives speaking – including the chief executives of
Suncor Energy Inc. and Nexen Inc. – referred to the need to do better
in the PR battle, and emphasized that this was a priority.
It’s a fight that the companies aren’t winning, and it’s their own
Doc builds convincing case against tar sands
KATE TAYLOR
ktaylor@globeandmail.com
March 13, 2008
When Norway began extracting North Sea oil, its government worried that the sudden influx of revenue would distort the economy, so it placed its new wealth in a rainy-day fund. Now that the North Sea reserves are diminished, Norway's state-owned oil exploration company is looking elsewhere, to Alberta's tar sands.
New projects pitched to ease Fort McMurray housing woes
By The Canadian Press - For Business Edge
Published: 03/07/2008 - Vol. 8, No. 5
The Wood Buffalo Housing and Development Corp. is looking to get into the land development business to alleviate Fort McMurray's housing crunch.
The municipally-owned, non-profit corporation presented a proposal to regional council last week for developing two areas of Fort McMurray north of the Athabasca River.
Aboriginal chiefs want oilsands moratorium
Renata D'Aliesio, Calgary Herald
Published: Monday, February 25, 2008
EDMONTON - Alberta's aboriginal chiefs are calling for a moratorium on new oilsands development until they've completed plans to manage water and resource development in the region.
