“It’s not the government’s role to put its thumb on the scale of any particular project – it undermines the public confidence that the environment is getting the protection that it needs. Governments issue permits, but communities grant permission.” An important statement of democratic values, and well put. The speaker was Justin Trudeau (video here),... Continue Reading →
CBC reported on December 20th that the Saskatchewan government was ignoring the Information and Privacy Commissioner's recommendation that it release records and information relating to inspection of Husky Energy's pipelines. Following the Husky heavy oil leak of July 20th which threatened the water supply of North Battleford, Prince Albert and several First Nations, a Freedom... Continue Reading →
In discussions of climate policy with opponents of decisive action, certain talking points inevitably get raised. Some are more common than others, some are more subtle than others, and some require more knowledge and thought to debunk than others - but our current premier seems to be happy to use all of them. We are... Continue Reading →
Last week (on Oct. 18, 2016) Brad Wall at last announced his climate policy... sort of. It turns out that there is nothing new in the White Paper as regards actual policy - but there are some new twists in the demands that he is making of the federal government. It is encouraging to see... Continue Reading →
As I write, a relatively small spill of oil (250000 litres) is threatening the water supply of thousands along the North Saskatchewan river, causing damage of as yet unknown scope to the aquatic and riparian ecosystems, and most likely contaminating traditional First Nations medicines. We do not know the detailed composition of the oil, but... Continue Reading →
This week Premier Brad Wall has embarked on a tour out east to promote the Energy East pipeline, a project which demonstrates his dangerously poor understanding of climate change and of 21st century economics. A new report this month from the CCPA definitively shows that Canada cannot meet its emissions reductions obligations if it builds... Continue Reading →
When the Saskatchewan legislature opened for business again on May 17th, Brad Wall's Speech from the Throne included the following paragraphs: But it is troubling that today, there are some in this country who, given the opportunity, would shut down major parts of Saskatchewan’s economy and put thousands of hard-working Saskatchewan people out of work, all in the... Continue Reading →
