Two letters to the editor. One from the east. One from the west.
The first, from pollster Don Mills of Corporate Research Associates, based out of Halifax, published at the paywalled site AllNovaScotia.com on August 29:
No fracking? No problem. ~
Weak economic growth and out-migration of youth? No problem.
Aging population and rapidly rising heath-care costs? No problem. Continue reading The hypocrisy of Atlantic Canadians?
Dan Albas is the Conservative MP for the riding of Okanagan-Coquihalla, a riding in the south, central part of the province that is a long, long way from where Enbridge Inc. proposes to build the Northern Gateway Pipeline that will carry as much as 500,000 barrels of Alberta bitumen across the Rockies to the northern B.C. port of Kitimat. Kitimat, incidentally, is in the riding of New Democrat Nathan Cullen, while the pipeline runs through Cullen’s riding and then the ridings of BC Conservative Bob Zimmer (Prince George-Peace River) and Alberta Conservative MPs Rob Merrifield (Yellowhead) and Brian Storseth (Westlock-St. Paul)
Though Albas and his constituents live a long way from the Northern Gateway’s route or port — as do most who live in B.C. — this is a big issue for them. The federal NDP believe that, so far as votes in B.C. go in the 2015 general election, campaigning against the pipeline is electoral gold. Continue reading A Conservative MP from B.C. opens up on Northern Gateway: A highly conditional approval
Heriberto Araújo and Juan Pablo Cardenal are the authors of China’s Silent Army: The Pioneers, Traders, Fixers and Workers Who Are Remaking The World in Beijing’s Image. Today in the New York Times, they have a long interesting piece in which they argue that China’s “state capitalism” represents a real threat to the West and to the values — the rule of law, political freedom and fair competition — important to the West. And Canada — “a progressive bastion” — gets a prominent mention:
Europeans and Americans [and Canadians for that matter] tend to fret over Beijing’s assertiveness in the South China Sea, its territorial disputes with Japan, and cyberattacks on Western firms, but all of this is much less important than a phenomenon that is less visible but more disturbing: the aggressive worldwide push of Chinese state capitalism…
Continue reading The disturbing push of aggressive Chinese state capitalism
On Tuesday afternoon, the House of Commons Standing Committee on Natural Resources met to consider “Innovation in the Energy Sector” (Here are the minutes with the witness list).
Our reporter, Daniel Proussalidis caught up with the Liberal MP on that committee, David McGuinty, after the committee meeting had concluded and asked McGuinty if he had heard anything during the committee “that would reassure you about the way the oil sands are being developed — the innovation or technology that’s being employed?” Continue reading Audio: David McGuinty in his own words: "Go back to Alberta"
I’m looking to tap the brainpower of the blogosphere for a very specific question:
Can we safely move oil from Kitimat, B.C., down the Douglas Channel, and into the open Pacific Ocean?
Continue reading Getting oil from Kitimat to the open ocean: Can we do that?
Queen’s University environmental scientist John Smol was among the scientific advisors that contributed to the creation of the Oil Sands Monitoring System, announced in Edmonton Friday by Environment Minister Peter Kent and his provincial counterpart Diana McQueen.
As my colleague Tanara McLean reported:
The program aims to create a more “transparent” and cohesive monitoring system. All oilsands Continue reading Oil sands monitoring: Some positives but some opportunities missed
On the eve of the beginning of a review process to determine the feasibility/suitability of building an oil pipeline from Alberta, through the Rockies, to a northern B.C. port, Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver issues this “open letter”:
Canada is on the edge of an historic choice: to diversify our energy markets away from our traditional trading partner in the United States or to continue with the status quo.
Virtually all our energy exports go to the US. As a country, we must seek new markets for our products and services and the booming Asia-Pacific economies have shown great interest in our oil, gas, metals and minerals. For our government, the choice is clear: we need to diversify our markets in order to create jobs and economic growth for Canadians across this country. We must expand our trade with the fast growing Asian economies. We know that increasing trade will help ensure the financial security of Canadians and their families.
Unfortunately, there are environmental and other radical groups Continue reading Oliver: "Environmental and other radical groups" would hijack job-creating development
