Environment
WTF Wednesday: Crying over spilled bitumen
Another day, another oil spill. Eighty-four thousand gallons of bitumen oil from Alberta leaked into a suburban Arkansas neighbourhood after an ExxonMobil pipeline ruptured this weekend. Twenty-two families have to stay off their property for at least a week. But it’s okay, because as an ExxonMobil media response said, they “apologize for any disruption and… More »
A new generation farmer weighs in on beef
Ian McCormick is one of the new generation of Canadian farmers. Thanks to programs like FarmStart and CRAFT (Canadian Regional Alliance for Farmer Training), new farmers — young people and folks who often didn’t grow up farming — are trying their hand at small-scale production. FarmStart helps develop a new generation of farmers by leasing… More »
The dirty dozen
Are we only interested in ourselves? The recent uproar over the provocative (dare I say titillating) May 2012 Time magazine cover on attachment parenting has got me thinking again about local food. The old joke among lactating mothers is that breast milk is the most local you can get. The other thing about the article… More »
Hundreds gather at Enbridge AGM in Toronto to protest pipelines
About 200 protesters gathered on King Street today as Enbridge held their annual general meeting inside the King Edward Hotel. The mass of protesters had congregated on the street to voice their opinions on the proposed Northern Gateway pipeline, which would stretch 1,172 kilometres from Bruderheim, Alta., to the port of Kitimat, B.C. The proposed… More »
Flashback Tuesday: “Pipelines and Pipedreams”
In this week’s installment, we take you back to 1982 as Mel Watkins takes a look at the Alaska Highway Gas Pipeline. The pipeline was originally planned in the 1970s to run natural gas from Alaska to the American midwest via several thousand kilometres of pristine Canadian wilderness. Although the plan was eventually scaled down… More »
A look at the inner workings of one of Canada's greenest buildings
In 2001, when Earth Rangers was planning for its new facility, the mandate its members gave to the engineers and architects was that they wanted a building with the lowest environmental impact possible, a building on the cutting edge of eco-friendliness. Ten years later, the Earth Rangers Centre is one of the most energy efficient… More »
What to do when aboriginal economies and environmental regulations conflict?
A project that would have provided hundreds of Metis with jobs and affordable housing was quashed on Tuesday, with a 7-6 vote by the Edmonton City Council. And though it may not seem so at first glance, that decision was likely for the best. While the project’s benefits were appealing, there were some deeper problems with… More »
EcoChamber #20: This Thanksgiving, participate in a 350.org climate action where you live
As of today it’s official: every province and territory across Canada is on board with the 350.org climate movement. This Sunday, 350.org events will be held throughout Canada and around the world. Last year, we saw the beginning of this movement. On Oct. 24th, 2009, several thousand youth took over Parliament Hill in Ottawa to give… More »
The 7 private members' bills that shouldn't die in parliament, but probably will
Compiled by Kevin Philipupillai and Simon Wallace Parliament resumes today. Over the next few weeks we’re going to hear a lot about the gun registry and the census and the economy and the economy and the economy. Often overlooked are the small, less flashy, things that parliamentarians do. Like propose private member’s bills, legislation that individual MPs… More »
Wednesday WTF: Tar sands oil — now with 30 times more dead birds
The Alberta tar sands are a famously bad place to be a migratory bird. Turns out it’s even worse than we thought. From the Toronto Star: A new study says birds are likely dying in oilsands tailings ponds at least 30 times the rate suggested by industry and government. [...] The 14-year median, including raptors,… More »
