Artist’s rendering of proposed Kitimat LNG project
By The Canadian Press
U.S. energy firm Apache Corp. says it’s exiting the Kitimat, B.C., LNG project, which it had been developing with Chevron Corp.
Houston-based Apache also plans to get rid of its interest in another major liquefied natural gas project in Australia.
Apache made the announcement with its second-quarter financial report.
The Kitimat LNG project is furthest along in the development process of any of the proposed natural gas export facilities planned for Canada’s West Coast.
Apache has been under pressure from New York hedge fund Jana Partners LLC, an activist investor, to sell assets.
The location of one of KSM’s three proposed open pit mines (Ed Schoenfeld, CoastAlaska)
The $5.3 billion proposed Kerr-Sulphurets-Mitchell (KSM) mine, which received BC government approval yesterday, boasts one of the world’s largest gold and copper deposits. But with big promises of jobs and ore come serious concerns over the staggering volumes of tailings and acid rock drainage the three-pronged mine could produce.
Its 2 billion tonnes of tailings, for instance, represent 6-7 times the volume slated to be produced by nearby Red Chris Mine.
Located in the northwest corner of the province, the project is made up of three neighbouring mountains from which proponent Seabridge Gold estimates it could mine 10 billion pounds of copper, 133 million ounces of silver, 38 million ounces of gold and 200 million pounds of molybdenum. Seabridge is trumpeting 1,800 jobs during construction and 1,000 permanent jobs once the mine is up and running.
Province touts “family-supporting jobs”
Employment opportunities seem to have been the key driver of the BC government’s approval. “This will be a major employer, not just for the northwest but for all of B.C. and it will pump a lot of money into our economy,” BC Minister of Mines Bill Bennett told the Canadian Press upon announcing the mine’s environmental certificate yesterday. “These are high-paying jobs. They’re family-supporting jobs.”
Under Seabridge’s proposal, separate mines would be located at Kerr, Sulphurets and Mitchell mountains
Seabridge is also touting broad First Nations support. It has signed an agreement with the Nisga’a Nation, which includes profit sharing and skills training. The company also claims support from the Gitxsan First Nation.
Alaska faces potential impacts of KSM Mine
The project is also stoking serious concerns about impacts on rivers and fish, particularly in Alaska, which would be forced to deal with much of the mine’s waste issues. This from Mary Catherine Martin in the Juneau Empire, which produced an in-depth series on the mine back in April:
[quote]
It would also produce more than 2 billion tons of tailings, and one of its three open pit mines would be about as deep as the deepest open pit mine in the world today. Water treatment facilities filtering water from the mine site and into the Unuk River, which flows into Alaska’s Misty Fjords National Monument, may need to operate 200 years or more to prevent acid from draining into Southeast Alaska waters.
British Columbia’s Environmental Assessment Office, which is reviewing Seabridge Gold’s 33,000-page mining application, says review and oversight — as well as Seabridge’s efforts to date — will ensure the mine, if permitted, is environmentally safe.
But others in Alaska and BC worry about the mine’s vast scope and effect on fish. They say should anything go wrong with this or other mines proposed in BC during or after their operation, acid mine drainage could contaminate important salmon producing rivers and Southeast Alaska’s waters, and Southeast Alaska and Yakutat’s more than 5,000 annual fishing jobs — and its fish — could be in jeopardy.
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Despite these well-founded concerns in Alaska, its state regulator has lacked the resources to conduct a thorough review of its own, relying on funding from Seabridge to engage with the application, and putting a great deal of trust in the BC Environmental Assessment Office. “The state’s participation in the permitting review (for KSM) seems entirely dependent on funds from Seabridge Gold,” Chris Zimmer of Rivers Without Borders told the Juneau Empire. “I think this is an inherently bad situation.” His organization has been asking the federal State Department to get involved in the process, in order to ensure local authorities don’t give the matter short shrift.
To claims that Alaska has little regulatory power to intervene in the process, Zimmer retorts:
[quote]The state can be proactive and demand better standards, higher bonds, other mechanisms to protect water quality…invoke the Boundary Waters Treaty (of 1909). Look to the example of Montana and the Flathead Valley.[/quote]
With provincial approval of the project, that ship may have already sailed, but that’s not to say it doesn’t face significant hurdles going forward, on both sides of the border.
BC First Nations concerned about fish impacts
Impacts on fish have been a concern for First Nations in BC as well. The Gitanyow First Nation, which fishes the Nass River, where the tailings facility would be located, has expressed grave reservations about the project. It commissioned UVic biologist Michael Price to study the potential impacts of the project on downstream salmon. In a report submitted to the provincial government by the Gitanyow Fisheries Authority, Price concluded that salmonids “will undoubtedly be subject to sub-lethal metal toxicity. In some circumstances…the effect most probable is secondary death.”
Seabridge claims it has responded to these concerns with the addition of a lined cell to protect watercourses from “potentially acid-generating material”. Says Seabridge Vice President of Environmental Affairs Brent Murphy, “This (lined cell) is one of the main aspects of accommodation and was built into the design to address the concerns of the local Aboriginal people.”
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The company has signed an agreement with the Gitanyow to monitor water quality and fish health, but will that be enough to appease their concerns in the long run? Moreover, the company has yet to reach a deal with the Tahltan First Nation – renowned for blocking other mining and gas projects in the past, particularly over water and salmon issues. Without firm support from the Tahltan and Gitanyow – especially in light of the recent Tsilhqot’in decision – the project will remian on shaky ground.
On that note, The Tsilhqot’in case and failed Prosperity Mine project offer a reminder of how provincial approval can be trumped by legal complications and federal rejection of the project. With the Harper Cabinet yet to render a decision on KSM, any celebration of the project’s approval at this stage is premature. In a letter to the Canadian Minister of the Environment last year, the Gitanyouw Hereditary Chiefs complained, “the timelines imposed by the (BC) EAO are clearly inadequate to enable meaningful consultation and ensure that proper mitigation aspects are in place.” That’s just the sort of language that can form the basis of a constitutional challenge, built on the strengthened foundation of the Tsilhqot’in decision.
That said, all signs are pointing toward a Fall approval from Cabinet, as the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency has already determined in its own review that the project would likely result in no “significant adverse environmental effects.” At that point, the strongest defence remaining against the project would likely be a First Nations-led legal challenge.
Funding not in place
Even if the company faces no serious legal challenges or regulatory hurdles, the project is not yet a given, without the significant financial backing required to make it a reality.
“Obviously, we have high expectations for this project, but until we get a partner in that’s willing to fund most of the capital and build the mine, the project is not a go yet,” Seabridge CEO Rudi Fronk told the Canadian Press.
[quote]We need that partner in place to make that construction and production decision. We’re not going to make it on our own.[/quote]
Citizens line the Sea to Sky Highway to protest Woodfibre LNG (My Sea to Sky)
Two city councils in Howe Sound now officially oppose plans for liquefied natural gas terminals and tankers in their backyard. This week, West Vancouver joined Lions Bay in voting against LNG for the region – including an Indonesian billionaire’s proposal to convert an old pulp mill site near Squamish into an LNG facility.
The West Vancouver vote for a tanker ban occurred at the July 21 council meeting, which featured a presentation from Bowyer Island resident Eoin Finn. Holding a PhD in physical chemistry and an MBA, the retied KPMG partner has been a key spokesperson for grassroots group My Sea to Sky, delivering a number of presentations throughout the region on the safety risks of LNG.
Finn told council thatin the unlikely event of a tanker accident, the consequences could be fatal. According to the North Shore News, Finn explained to council that “spilled LNG would form a low, combustible fog. If ignited by a passing boat or a cigarette, the fog would burn at 1000° F.”
“This particular location, in a confined watershed, in a very confined waterway, passing three ferry lanes, passing by several major population centres including West Vancouver, is a particularly inappropriate location,” Finn explained.
Speaking to the motion, Councillor Bill Soprovich, prompted applause from the gallery, stating:
[quote]This is the most beautiful part of the world and suddenly we’re going to have volatile, dangerous cargo going through it? I think not. The fight is on![/quote]
Lions Bay opposes LNG too
The vote by West Vancouver council follows a similar move by neighbouring Lions Bay in May, which saw municipal leaders agree to send a letter on behalf of the community to Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Premier Christy Clark urging a ban on LNG tankers in Howe Sound.
“Council has discussed and been concerned about safety in the past, so this [resolution] is another indication that we’re concerned about safety on the sound,” Mayor Brenda Broughton told the Squamish Chief at the time.
“You’ve got Anvil Island, near Lions Bay, and then Bowyer Island…a tanker is not always going to be in the middle of Howe Sound. It has to be on one side or the other, and as it gets to Horseshoe Bay and Bowen Island, there’s just no way for it to avoid those narrow passages,” she said.
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These concerns were also heightened by a presentation by Finn to mayor and council. “Eoin highlighted the issues surrounding a tanker accident and what the kill zone would be if there were an accident,” says Broughton.
“Squamish is such a special place and this is such an exciting time to be there,” My Sea to Sky’s Tracey Saxby told the audience at a recent summit on LNG hosted at SFU’s Harbour Centre campus.
“It’s a community in transition from the old way – the extraction and resource-based industries – to a new economy that has a broader economic base and more diverse and resilient economic base,” Saxby explained, noting the various new industries being developed in the community – from academia to the emerging recreation technology sector, to enticing entrepreneurs with the region’s spectacular wilderness.
“So it’s an incredibly hot and pressing topic for our community,” Cocunillor Patricia Heintzman told The Vancouver Observer after the meeting. Echoing the municipal plebiscite in Kitimat earlier this year over the proposed Enbridge pipeline, Heintzman stated:
[quote]I’ve been on council for almost nine years, and I’ve never received letters like we do on LNG…I think the only real way to [understand citizens’ views] is to have a referendum at this point.[/quote]
The Peace River Valley is one of Canada’s most fertile regions (Damien Gillis)
Keeping the Peace Valley’s farmland and ecosystems intact would be worth $7.9 billion to $8.6 billion a year, says a new study from the David Suzuki Foundation.
Region’s ecosystems provide many valuable services
Industrial impacts throughout Peace region – indicated in red (from previous DSF report)
This latest report, which involved 3 years of intense data collection, analysis and review, tabulates the economic value of preserving what remains of the valley’s natural values. “These ecosystems play a critical role in providing clean air, clean water, habitat for wildlife and many other ecological benefits that sustain the health and well-being of local residents, and contribute to the cultural and traditional ways of First Nations,” says DSF.
The services provided by the 5.6 million-hectare region’s diverse ecosystems include “water supply, air filtration, flood and erosion control, habitat for wildlife and agricultural pollinators, carbon storage and other benefits.”
“We’re concerned because the strain on the Peace River Watershed’s farmland and natural ecosystems will only increase with the B.C. government’s plan for increased oil and gas development, including liquefied natural gas, as well as large infrastructure projects such as the proposed Site C Dam,” says the Foundation’s Dr. Faisal Moola.
Farmland could feed a million people
At the environmental assessment hearings into the $8 Billion proposed Site C Dam, expert agrologists Wendy Holm and Evelyn Wolterson told the Joint Review Panel that the land in the proposed flood and impact zone could feed a million people. This is due to the extraordinary soils and climate conditions of the valley, Wolterson explained.
[quote]These are all elements of this valley that make it absolutely unique…not only in the region but in all of British Columbia, and perhaps Western Canada…It is our opinion that the public interest is better served [by] agriculture and other uses for this valley, rather than a hundred years of power production.[/quote]
$7 Billion/year in carbon sequestration
The Suzuki report also calculates the value of the region’s forests, grasslands and wetlands in terms of carbon storage, pegged at $6.7 billion to $7.4 billion a year, with other ecosystem services contributing $1.2 billion a year.
Says Moola, “…our study shows that remaining farmland and natural areas have an incredible ability to generate natural wealth.”
[quote]We’re concerned because the strain on the Peace River Watershed’s farmland and natural ecosystems will only increase with the B.C. government’s plan for increased oil and gas development, including liquefied natural gas, as well as large infrastructure projects such as the proposed Site C Dam.[/quote]
Site C review panel worried about cumulative impacts
While the Joint Review Panel opted not to render a definitive verdict on the dam in its report, released in May, it did echo DSF’s concerns about the cumulative effects of multiple projects in the region, compounding the dam’s impacts. “Whether the Project proceeds or not, there is a need for a government-led regional environmental assessment including a baseline study and the establishment of environmental thresholds for use in evaluating the effects of multiple, projects,” the Panel stated.
First Nations back report
Chief Roland Wilson of West Moberly First Nations echoed the Suzuki Foundation report, noting that his people “have been blessed with forests, rushing rivers and rolling grasslands that have sustained our communities for thousands of years. However, the cumulative effects of industrial development in our territories have been massive and can’t be mitigated. They’ve had an enormous impact on our treaty rights as First Nations people.”
According to Moola, various aboriginal representatives helped guide the Suzuki report with their traditional knowledge of the area. “First Nations helped decide the study area, identify data sources, and review the work – including ensuring that we accurately reflected the place names, and other references to their Dane_Zaa culture”.
Many of these aboriginal voices are represented verbatim in the 2013 DSF-published report, Passages for the Peace, which includes interviews with elders, hunters, artists and other community members describing the role the land plays in their lives and the value of natural capital in their culture and economy.
The federal Cabinet is expected to render a decision on the dam in September. Says Moola, “We hope this report encourages discussion about how natural areas and farmland in B.C.’s irreplaceable Peace Region are valued — and undervalued — when decisions are made that could destroy the region’s natural wealth.”
Ex-BC Green Leader Jane Sterk (left) and Premier Christy Clark on the 2013 campaign trail (Facebook)
In BC, conflating environmentalism and politics is a mainstay. Is it possible to restore environmentalism in BC, free of partisan politics and more in tune with the actual environment? Here is where environmentalists can learn a lot from the rich and much longer history of the labour movement.
Much like labour, the environmental movement has hitched itself to a political party. This approach did not – and has not – served labour well as a force for progressive change, but rather doing so allowed electoral politics to marginalize the agenda of the majority of the populace, otherwise known as working people.
Interest groups, or lobbies like labour and environmentalism, are much more able to forward their cause as independent, partisan-free organizations whose sole intent is to leverage whomever is in power to make gains for their constituency. In this vein, it is of course crucial to be political, however, if such a group is already committed to a political body it impairs their ability to properly leverage gains, regardless of who is in power and what industry dominates the economic and political landscape.
The Green-industrial alliance
Environmentalism in BC has not only marginalized progressive environmental policy and the desires of BC’s majority by embedding itself in the Green Party, but in so doing has adopted Green Party politics. It should be obvious to anyone paying attention that the Green Party in BC is an enabling mechanism for the dominant industries and political players, most all of which are antithetical to what are commonly understood to be green values and policy objectives – at least, as they are advertised.
Simple adjustments like electing environmental leaders through democratic reform of their organizations could be one small step to avert such dichotomy.
As it is, self-appointed leaders of green organizations dominate in BC and what we see are the brownest industries on earth undertaking an agenda that is anything but green – advanced under an unelected, social license machine that markets itself as “green.”
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This is not incidental or new or a mere inconvenience. Nor is it a tactical corporate tool such as “greenwashing” – rather it is a well-honed, long-practiced underpinning of both our corporate and social fabric. As a result, those that exploit oil, gas, timber, mineral and other resources are inextricably linked to the green movement and its lead organizations. It’s not simply a synergy or an alignment of convenience but rather they are one and the same.
The 2009 election saw a major schism within the so-called environmental community, whereby some leaders backed the Liberals in the name of climate action – over their controversial “run-of-river” program – even as the Campbell government vowed to build the Enbridge pipeline and continue developing the province’s oil and gas resources.
This result is not unlike the history of the labour movement in BC, despite labour having a more democratic footing and elected leadership – which only proves that democratic reform is but one step in the right direction. The two movements have much in common and face similar challenges, which is why it has always seemed odd to me that labour and environmentalism have been pitted against each other, often resulting in political failure for progressive people, policy and politicians.
“Economy vs. Environment” = false dichotomy
The age-old debate of “Economy vs. Environment” that has brought BC’s progressive forces to their knees is a false political construct, one foisted upon us by regressive, often conservative forces. It’s akin to suggesting to someone their car does not run because of the “air vs. gasoline” problem. While it is true that a combustion engine depends almost entirely on the air/gas mixture, these forces are not opposed but rather required to work in harmony, in the right balance, in order to perform as a finely tuned machine.
It’s pretty clear to me that we are not going to be scrapping the combustion engine that is our “global economy” anytime soon, despite it setting the world on fire – but we in BC can work to ensure the economy and environment balance is that of a well performing machine. That sort of tune-up is what BC needs and may still be within our grasp.
Democratic reforms could help solve problem
One step in that direction is to restore the autonomy of lobby groups/PACS/interest groups through law. This could include, or rather should force them to be non-partisan, while providing a framework for forwarding policy objectives and political goals that is much more defined. Doing so would help level the playing field and neuter the abuse undertaken by the powerful and privileged who manipulate perception and public opinion with front groups whose true agenda is often far removed from their public mandate.
From there, political party reforms are required. These could reinforce this notion by banning lobby groups/PACS/interest groups from holding membership blocks in political parties, while simultaneously ending their ability to finance parties. This could be achieved by funding parties solely with public dollars and capping their election marketing campaign expenditures. All of which would level the political playing field by offering each party the same access to the public with the same capacity to spread their message.
Regardless, serious reforms are required and this is becoming more evident to the majority now. Yet, however fundamental, change is never easy, and often we see where such changes result in even worse setbacks, especially if the general trajectory is downward, which seems to be the case in North America. And certainly when they are about stripping power and privilege from those we have allowed to gain such immense and unprecedented power and privilege. Such entitlement is not easy to erase or even correct.
Saving BC means building new alliances
These are the circumstances that give rise to organizations that pander to power while working to inspire hope and change amongst the faithful and downtrodden, progressive-thinking populace. It’s a necessary component to political stability in a “capitalist” society run by oligarchs. BC’s environmental movement has not escaped this dynamic.
Labour has long gone down this road and fulfilled this role, in BC and elsewhere. Environmentalism seems to be their junior partner now, as the house of labour allowed itself to become stagnant and often irrelevant in our fast-changing world and labour market.So we see a partnering now, not one that delivers political victory but rather one that continues to sustain the oligarchical system, while working to maintain political stability by manufacturing consent.
If BC is to survive this global corporate onslaught, we need to get busy reforming the long-established mainstays of our political culture, which ranges from First Nations political bodies, through environmentalism and labour, as well as, our political parties – not to mention the media.
These are all public institutions made up of British Columbians, therefore change is within our grasp. Doing so may allow us to avert simply being manipulated by a small minority who implement their strategy in unison with influential interest groups, devising the rhetorical narrative that drives the plunder of our province.
Time is short and resistance is no longer a luxury but instead has become necessary for our collective well being.
Grassy Narrows First Nation member protests suspected mercury poisoning in 2013 (Kevin Konnyu / Flickr)
Updated July 29
By The Canadian Press
TORONTO – For years, the federal and provincial governments have known members of a northern Ontario First Nation suffered from mercury poisoning but failed to provide adequate compensation or health care, band members said Monday.
The Grassy Narrow First Nation said it has obtained an unreleased government report that found there is “no doubt” people in the community of roughly 1,600 near Kenora, Ont., suffered from mercury-related neurological disorders — something the band said officials have never formally acknowledged.
“The government has been sitting on this report since 2009,” Grassy Narrows Chief Roger Fobister Sr. said in a news conference in Toronto.
Meanwhile, the Mercury Disability Board, which includes both levels of government, “continues to overlook the sick people of Grassy Narrows,” Fobister said.
The report was commissioned by the board, which administers compensation for those whose health suffered as a result of mercury poisoning. The board could not immediately be reached for comment.
A spokesman for the Ontario Ministry of Aboriginal Affairs said members of Grassy Narrows sit on the board and would have reviewed the report when it was presented in 2010. The board also held an open house in the community to discuss the report, Scott Cavan said.
Both provincial and federal governments said they continue to work to address the issue of mercury contamination.
A spokeswoman for Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada said Ottawa has contributed more than $9 million in compensation to Grassy Narrows and Wabaseemoong First Nations for economic and social development initiatives.
Critics nonetheless called for the report to be publicly released.
“A coverup involving the poisoning of an entire community is not something you expect to hear about here in Ontario,” NDP Aboriginal Affairs critic Sarah Campbell said in a statement.
“The government owes it to residents to release any information they have about the issue, and to take concrete steps to address ongoing health, nutrition and environmental issues stemming from the industrial waste.”
Water around Grassy Narrows has been contaminated with mercury since a local paper mill dumped an estimated 10 tonnes of neurotoxins into the system between 1962 and 1970.
Grassy Narrows and the Wabaseemoong Independent Nations negotiated an out-of-court settlement with Ottawa, the province and two paper companies in the 1980s. The board was created as part of the settlement.
The report compared the board’s decisions in several cases with diagnoses made by Japanese experts on Minamata disease, a neurological syndrome caused by mercury poisoning, who examined the community between 1975 and 2004.
It found the board recognized only 38 per cent of the cases identified by the experts, noting the discrepancies “are due to different criteria used for evaluations.”
“The approach used by the Mercury Disability Board to assess whether or not an applicant has signs or symptoms consistent with mercury poisoning was designed based on the state of science and knowledge of the impact of mercury on human health in the 1980s,” it reads.
Judy Da Silva, a Grassy Narrows member and activist, said people are being turned away by the board and forced to file appeals, only to remain unsuccessful.
[quote]Everyone should have gotten automatic compensation forever. For us to go and beg for pennies is ridiculous.[/quote]
The band is calling for the government to formally apologize for allowing its people to suffer from mercury poisoning and step up compensation and care.
It also wants the government to clean up the water and block clearcutting projects that could exacerbate the situation.
The province established a mercury working group more than a year ago, but Da Silva, who is part of the group, said progress has stalled without participation from Ottawa.
Cavan said the group, which includes several provincial ministries as well as First Nations members, continues to meet and develop strategies to address mercury-related issues.
“They are researching economic development opportunities for the community, including commercial fishing and guiding with further discussions to take place later this summer,” he said, adding the group is also looking at educational opportunities for youth.
BC Premier Christy Clark addresses a conference on LNG (Damien Gillis)
I really need your help.
What the devil does one call premier Christy Clark, considering that she seems utterly incapable of telling the truth? Hers is an interesting case because her gross economy with the truth seems designed to get her away from whatever her current difficulty is, onto something different. Whether this amounts to “lying” in the accepted sense of that term, I don’t know.
“Disassembling”? “Fibbing”?
[quote]I would love to see prosperity come to my province…Unfortunately, it is just a dream.[/quote]
When Dr. Jaccard told his guests at an energy conference, during the 2013 provincial election, about the promises premier Clark was making with respect to LNG development in British Columbia, they broke into laughter.
First of all, there had to be a supply of product – that one wasn’t a problem, there was an over supply.
Secondly, there had to be the certainty of a market. That there were lots of potential “markets” around was true – the real question was whether or not these markets needed BC, considering their other alternatives. In short, there had to be firm contracts in place from which the markets could not escape. We are no closer to that today than we were during the election.
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The third and critical point was the price to be paid for the product. No entrepreneur is going to sink a lot of money into a project unless he knows that he is going to make a profit. That is the nature of capitalism. What seems clear to me – and also true to Dr. Jaccard’s audience – is that there is no potential market BC could depend upon at any price, let alone a certain price.
In determining future BC prosperity from natural gas, one was flying in the dark. I won’t go into the details but please read the article and you’ll see how complicated it is to predict the price of natural gas under the best of circumstances, which these are not.
The China Syndrome
One of the obvious customers for BC is China. I recall saying then that China had a great many options, not the least of which was the largest supply of gas in the world in Russia, along with a huge supply of shale gas within China itself.
One could go on analyzing markets and that’s not my bailiwick – suffice it to say that the questions raised at that time by Dr. Jaccard, his audience and by me, are no closer to being answered now that they were then.
Clark government in denial
None of this has daunted the Clark government in the slightest. They carry on as if LNG plants are going to spring up all over British Columbia and we will be awash in profits.
At this point, one might usefully go back to the election itself. Such was the enthusiasm for Ms. Clark to get elected one might say her statements about LNG were somewhat extravagant. You may recall that at the very beginning, we were told that BC, by 2017, would have all its debts paid and $100 billion in a Prosperity Fund!
Somewhere along the way, after the election was safely behind her, someone must have whispered into Premier Clark’s ear just how much money $100 billion was. It also became evident to the premier that 2017 was rather an optimistic date and that since she didn’t have to worry about an election for another four years, perhaps that might be scaled and the whole question of provincial debt best mumbled away and forgotten.
The point of this exercise is that either British Columbia is going to have a substantial LNG industry or it is not.
The next question of course is that if we are, then when?
The honest approach to this question would be, we simply do not know. A premier and a government being square with the voters would simply say that. They would point out that since “fracking” became all the rage, all bets are off as to the supply of natural gas and, indeed, oil in the world. All assumptions and estimates are now highly questionable.
The changing global energy landscape
There seems to be no question that there is a need for this new supply – but just who needs what and from whom is a huge question, which is nowhere near being settled. Old trading patterns are changing and none of the old truths can any longer be relied upon.
Moreover, there are serious political problems which will enter into the picture. For example, what does the change in world petroleum supply mean to the Middle East and the political relationships of countries with that region? Now that the United States is approaching self-sufficiency, what impact will that have in the geopolitical sense? One might think that this is irrelevant to the other questions I have raised, but not so. The natural rules of the marketplace are always trumped by considerations of world politics.
These are the facts that the public of British Columbia ought to know and understand; these are the facts that responsible, honest political leaders bring to the attention of voters.
To have taken the very best possibilities arising out of this new petroleum situation in the world and paint them as if the inevitable answer was fabulous prosperity for BC is as irresponsible a piece of political chicanery as I, in a long life, have ever seen. Moreover, the child-like deception continues, day after day.
Like every other British Columbian, I would love to see prosperity come to my province. To be able to all live better and to have our social ills dealt with in a more thorough and humane manner is a lovely dream to have. Unfortunately, it is just a dream.
Where does NDP opposition stand?
As of this writing, the NDP leader, John Horgan, has re-shuffled his shadow cabinet with energy split amongst several critics. Since the last election, the NDP have been a great disappointment in their effort to be the loyal opposition. They have not held the government’s feet to the fire – rather, they have been busy infighting and sorting out their internal disorder. Let’s hope that this has now changed.
It is by no means too late. I don’t give a damn whether or not the NDP is socialist or what it might be in its official political philosophy. Those sorts of terms are long out of date and useful only as political rhetoric during an election. Most political parties now are in the center of the road and appealing to people in all walks of life. I do not fear that the NDP would suddenly be nationalizing our businesses or bringing in secret police to enforce their version of humane practices.
What the NDP must present to the people of British Columbia is an honest appraisal of what the issues are and where we stand.
The current Christy Clark government is incapable of telling the truth, if to do so would in any way impair their popularity. One does not expect them to be paragons of political integrity – God knows they’re a long way from that. But on such an important matter as our natural gas industry, the truth is essential if the public is to understand our fiscal future.
The Christy Clark government’s position on LNG is, as Dr. Jaccard and his audience indicated, funny as hell.
Vancouver is Canada’s climate leader (photo: Wendy / flickr)
Amid the dire warnings about global warming’s impacts, what’s often overlooked is that actions to reduce or prevent them will lead to livable communities, improved air quality, protection of natural spaces and greater economic efficiency, to name just a few benefits. So it’s not surprising that tangible positive action on climate change is happening in Canada’s cities.
[quote]My hometown, Vancouver, is the real leader on Canadian urban climate initiatives.[/quote]
Oil and gas capital also pursuing energy efficiency
Plenty of examples can be found in the National Measures Report, released in mid-July by the Partners for Climate Protection, which includes the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and ICLEI-Canada, a local government organization dedicated to sustainability.
The report shows that, although Calgary is best known as the epicentre of Canada’s oil and gas sector, its government is investing in greater energy efficiency and tackling greenhouse gas pollution. In just seven years, it has cut emissions from operations by almost 50 per cent through an innovative partnership with energy companies. Cost savings from reduced energy use pay for the city’s investments.
Edmonton breaking new ground with composting program
Edmonton was an early innovator in waste management, establishing one of the first municipal composting programs in 2000. Its facility is the largest of its kind in North America. Not only does it take in organic waste from households, it also processes sewage sludge from the wastewater treatment plant.
Along with its recycling program, the city now keeps up to 60 per cent of its municipal waste out of landfills, and is aiming to increase that to 90 per cent. How does this help with climate change? Diverting waste away from landfills reduces emissions of methane, a greenhouse gas many times more potent than carbon dioxide.
Guelph aims for 25% renewable energy
In Ontario, Guelph is enjoying an economic revival and reducing energy use and greenhouse gas emissions at the same time. Supported by Ontario’s Green Energy Act, the city aims to meet 25 per cent of its total energy needs with locally sourced renewable energy. The policy turned out to be a boon for the manufacturing sector, attracting solar industry plants to Guelph and across the region.
Almost half Vancouver’s trips made without car
My hometown, Vancouver, is the real leader on Canadian urban climate initiatives. It has the lowest greenhouse gas emissions of any major North American city — and they’re continuing to drop. B.C is lucky to be powered by low-carbon hydroelectric power; Vancouver leverages this advantage by making smart urban-planning decisions and encouraging active transportation such as walking, biking and public transit.
Almost half of city trips are now made without a car. Battling sprawl and encouraging sustainable transportation has its advantages beyond reducing the carbon footprint. Good transit and improved liveability have attracted people to Vancouver’s increasingly vibrant downtown core, lush green spaces and seaside pathways.
Local progress can spur even greater momentum as cities collaborate with each other and other levels of government. The C40 Climate Leadership Group, started in 2005, has grown from 18 to 69 megacities around the world, including Toronto and Vancouver — representing one in 12 people on the planet. C40 and related initiatives have allowed cities to set goals together, measure and verify progress and share success stories on how to tackle global warming, while reaching out to smaller centres and co-operating with national governments.
UN recognizes leadership role of cities
The influence and importance of tackling global warming at the municipal level has become so great that the UN now formally recognizes city governments in negotiations on climate change. It makes sense. The UN notes that although cities cover just two per cent of the world’s surface, they produce more than 60 per cent of CO2 emissions.
How can federal and provincial governments get on board? First, they can establish policies that offer financial and program support to urban global warming action, such as investing in public transportation. The B.C government has helped cities develop climate change plans and become carbon neutral, and Nova Scotia has established a Climate Change Adaptation Clearinghouse to assist cities. Other provinces could take similar action. And all provinces and the federal government need to get serious about the greenhouse gas emissions they control.
Our future will be determined by the choices we make now to prioritize clean energy, better transit and smarter urban design. Canadian citizens and governments should recognize the benefits of acting and co-operating on global warming. There’s still a long way to go, but cities are showing the way.
Written with contributions from David Suzuki Foundation Science and Policy Manager Ian Bruce.
Greenpeace’s Les Stroud Les working with Inuit in Pond Inlet (Photo: Laura Bombier / Greenpeace)
By Lee-Anne Goodman, The Canadian Press
OTTAWA – Greenpeace and the Inuit have joined forces to protest Arctic seismic testing, warning that plans to gauge oil and gas reserves with high-intensity sound waves in Baffin Bay and the Davis Strait pose grave dangers to marine life.
Inuit activists are staging a protest Wednesday in Nunavut’s Clyde River, a tiny Baffin Island hamlet just above the Arctic Circle, a week after Greenpeace took their cause to the United Nations.
Inuit takes aim at Aglukkaq
An Inuit environmentalist also took aim at Environment Minister Leona Aglukkaq, a Nunavut MP, accusing the Conservative government of “cultural genocide” for its efforts to open up the Arctic to oil and gas exploration.
“We depend on these waters for food and the very existence of Inuit life depend on them,” said Niore Iqalukjuak in an open letter to Aglukkaq in the Nunatsiaq News.
[quote]We fear that what the Conservative government is doing is a cultural genocide and will end the Inuit way of life as we know it. … You are our representative. Speak up on our behalf.[/quote]
Aglukkaq’s office didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on Iqalukjuak’s letter or on the protest being held in Clyde River.
Greenpeace, meantime, has thrown its support behind the community.
Greenpeace joins protest
“Proposed seismic testing activities in Baffin Bay will have severe impacts on marine life and traditional lifestyles of coastal indigenous peoples,” the organization’s Arctic campaigner, Farah Khan, said in a statement Tuesday.
[quote]We stand with the community of Clyde River in their efforts to uphold their rights and preserve their traditions.[/quote]
It was an apparent return of fire to Aglukkaq, who criticized Greenpeace this week by challenging the environmental group’s historical opposition to the seal hunt and alleging it’s merely using the Inuit to advance its own causes.
“The reality is that there are lots of environmental groups who say that they speak for and represent Inuit or aboriginal people, while at the same time they campaign against traditional ways of life like the seal hunt,” she told the Inuit Circumpolar Council general assembly in the Northwest Territories.
Strange bedfellows
Greenpeace and the Inuit indeed make strange bedfellows in their campaign against Arctic seismic testing, a contentious method for surveying oil and gas deposits under the ocean floor that can have extensive effects on marine life, including disrupting migration routes.
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Greenpeace railed against the commercial seal hunt in the 1980s, and has since acknowledged their campaign had a detrimental impact on the Inuit.
“The consequences of that, though unintended, were far-reaching,” Joanna Kerr, executive director of Greenpeace Canada, said in a recent statement.
She added that the Inuit “take only what they need, and no more. They honour the animals, the land and the ocean.”
Greenpeace also recently drafted and adopted a policy, written with First Nations, in support of indigenous rights to a subsistence lifestyle.
In Tuesday’s statement, the organization chided Aglukkaq for failing to protect her homeland’s environment.
[quote]If Minister Aglukkaq acted as a steward for the Arctic environment — as an environment minister and chair of the Arctic Council should — then she would be listening to the concerns of northerners and acting on them.[/quote]
NEB opens up seismic testing
The National Energy Board, a federal government agency, recently announced it had given the green light to seismic testing in Baffin Bay and the Davis Strait despite protests from the mayor of Clyde River and other Inuit officials and elders. The testing will begin in the 2015 ice-free season.
According to the environmental group Oceans North Canada, Baffin Bay and the Davis Strait are home to an estimated 50,000 narwhals — most of the world’s population. The area is also home to bowhead whales, 116 species of fish and an estimated million seabirds.
Iqalukjuak made reference to the unexpected alliance between Greenpeace and the Inuit in his letter.
“Of all organizations or parties, Greenpeace has stepped up to help fund the court battle (against seismic testing). How embarrassing is that, eh? The very people that helped to destroy our seal industry here helping Inuit on a cause that they both believe,” he wrote.
Honeybees are in free fall just about everywhere – except Newfoundland
By Sue Bailey, The Canadian Press
PARADISE, N.L. – Newfoundland’s healthy honeybees are an increasing draw for researchers in the race to understand why colonies across much of the globe are struggling or dying off.
“There is definitely interest in what’s happening here,” said Dave Jennings, a director with the provincial Natural Resources department.
[quote]There are fewer and fewer places as we look around the world now that can claim to be free from the major bee pests. And we’re one of the few.[/quote]
Pesticides, parasites, climate change all suspected in collapse
Honeybees are crucial pollinators for fruit, vegetables and other crops. But stressors blamed for decimating hives around the world include invasive parasites such as the Varroa destructor mite, climate change and the use of pesticides.
The Canadian Honey Council has estimated that the bee population across the country has dropped by about 35 per cent in the past three years.
The island of Newfoundland, however, is gaining attention as an increasingly rare haven.
Newfoundland bucking the trend
Jennings said there are now about 38 beekeepers with hundreds of colonies. There has been growing interest in Labrador but long winters with extreme cold pose a major challenge, he explained.
It’s a tiny sector compared to other places in Canada but Newfoundland produces a growing array of beeswax products. The honey is a particularly pure wildflower variety that sells out quickly to local consumers, Jennings said.
There are no recorded cases of predominant bee parasites such as Varroa destructor or Nosema ceranae that have plagued honeybees elsewhere. And the absence of massive corn and soybean farms on the rocky island with its comparatively short growing season means neonic pesticides are hardly used, Jennings said.
Growing calls for pesticide ban
An international panel of 50 scientists last month called for tighter regulations and an ultimate phase-out of such products. The group calling itself the Task Force on Systemic Pesticides compared so-called neonics or neonicotinoids, a type of insecticide that’s chemically reminiscent of nicotine, to the use of DDT in the 1960s.
It said a study of 800 research papers offers conclusive evidence that neonics sprayed as a preventive pesticide over crops or to coat seeds are killing bees and other insects on a massive scale.
Province maintains strict import controls
As for mites, Newfoundland’s sheer distance from infected mainland bees means they would most likely only be introduced if imported.
“You basically can’t import honeybees in this province without getting a permit,” Jennings said. “We very much restrict that because we want to keep the pests out.”
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The province relies on the co-operation of beekeepers and is also assessing its control of bumblebee imports used to pollinate cranberry and blueberry crops, he added.
“It’s something we’re keeping our eye on.”
Recent studies highlight how different species can pass on parasites, said Geoff Williams, a senior research associate at the Institute of Bee Health at the University of Bern in Switzerland.
“Certainly with any type of import, whether or not it’s a honeybee or a bumblebee, there’s the threat of this transmission of pathogens.”
Newfoundland can gauge impact of harmful mite
Williams said Newfoundland can help researchers gauge the toll of the rampant Verroa destructor mite and other parasites elsewhere.
“There’s really only a handful of locations across the globe that don’t have this mite,” he said. “It gives you great baseline data of what honeybee populations were like … before Verroa.”
Williams visited Newfoundland in 2010, collecting samples from hives around Corner Brook and St. John’s for research that was part of an article last month in PLOS ONE, an international, peer-reviewed online scientific journal. He laughed when asked about reports that even the bees in Newfoundland are friendly.
“It depends on the day,” he said. “Certainly when I was over there I didn’t have any issues with really aggressive bees.”
Beekeeper Aubrey Goulding and his wife, Viola, run Paradise Farms Inc., selling beeswax candles, skin balms and honey in Paradise, N.L., outside St. John’s.
His bees are among the healthiest on the planet, he said. But he dreads that mites will somehow be brought to the island. He called for ongoing vigilance when it comes to bee imports and said residents can also help.
“Honeybees do visit people’s lawns, clover and even dandelions. So if you can refrain from using pesticides, that’d be a great plus for the bees.”
