Tag Archives: Politics

General Electric’s hydra-headed lobbying effort in BC

Canada, Politics, WATER, Water and Hydrocarbons, Western Canada, ,
Share

From the Public Eye Online – Feb 8, 2011

The world’s second largest company has
registered to the lobby the government on a cornucopia of subjects.
General Electric Co. is perhaps best known in provincial political
circles for having partnered
with run-of-the-river, solar and wind energy producer Plutonic Power
Corporation Inc. So it’s not surprising the company’s Canadian
subsidiary is targeting the province’s “wind development program” and
“renewable energy opportunities” as part of its lobbying effort. But General Electric
– which hosted two receptions at the government’s BC Showcase during
the 2010 Winter Olympic Games and donated $15,470 to the Liberals
between 2005 and 2009 – is also planning to talk about:

* technology, services and strategies aimed at helping clients “significantly reduce the cost” of healthcare and design futuristic hospitals. That lobbying comes a year after the government committed to a new agenda that “expands innovation in health delivery” – a commitment Liberal leadership candidates Christy Clark and Kevin Falcon share.

* the government’s policies with “respect to sustainable mining
energy-renewable shale gas development.” General Electric’s products
include “comprehensive air quality solutions” for mining operations, as well as a new “mobile evaporator” that lets natural gas producers recycle untreated waste water created by fracking. Three years ago, the company also partnered with Rio Tinto PLC to “develop the most energy efficient and ecologically friendly solutions to support the future of mining;”

* the development of a policy “targeted at buy (sic) power from
greenhouse into grid (sic).” Two years ago, in a North American first,
Great Northern Hydroponics Ltd. opened
a General Electric-designed greenhouse cogeneration plant that
generates onsite power and sells the surplus to the local grid under a
20-year contract with the Ontario Power Authority; and

* the government’s policy with “respect to solutions for offgrid
(sic) communities.” Last month, General Electric Canada president and
chief executive officer Elyse Allan announced
the launch of an initiative “to gain greater insight into shaping the
growth of Canada’s remote community economies and the decisions being
made by global and national businesses to invest in these communities.”

General Electric Canada has yet to respond to a request for comment placed yesterday.

Read original article

Share
Chris Delaney - BC First Party spokesperson

BC First’s Energy and Environment Alternative

Canada, Politics, Western Canada
Share

The Common Sense Canadian is offering leadership contenders and party leaders and spokespeople in BC an opportunity to spell out their energy and environmental policies for our readers. Today, we present the first of these – from the BC First Party.

BC First recently released its new “people friendly” environment policy that includes a moratorium on the development of the Site C dam. We believe that a proper review, laying out all the options, has never been undertaken to determine whether the damage from flooding such a massive area is worthwhile when compared to the alternatives.
 
To be clear, BC First rejects the extreme environmental perspective which sees all human development as bad. We also reject the “development at any costs” mentality which says no matter what long term ecological damage, no matter how much displacement of valuable farm land, and no matter what the alternatives, we plough ahead as usual because powerful, self interested parties control the agenda.

We believe that abundant energy is the key to economic development and prosperity for BC. Nations with surplus energy have the means to promote creativity, opportunity, and productivity. But the Williston Reservoir demonstrates the environmental damage from erosion that can happen even after we thought we’d covered all our bases.

Fortunately, British Columbia is blessed with an abundance of alternative energy sources, in particular natural gas, tidal and wind power. The Aeolis Wind Corporation, the company behind the proposed Thunder Mountain wind project, estimates there is as much wind power in northeastern British Columbia as in BC Hydro’s entire generating capacity – equivalent to ten Site C’s!

At a projected 50 trillion cubic feet, there is enough natural gas in the Montney shale gas field alone to power tens of millions of homes, dwarfing the Site C dam’s 900 MW capacity of 410,000 homes. “Blue Fuel” – a by-product created by capturing excess CO2 from natural gas fired plants, creates a clean burning fuel with a wide range of industrial and commercial applications. It is estimated that adding turbines to the west side of the generating station of the WAC Bennett Dam could effectively double that dam’s power output. Natural gas, wind, geothermal, tidal generators, and even bio-fuel from beetle killed timber all provide massive opportunities for a comprehensive new model for BC’s energy.

The days of destroying productive valleys, submerging farm land, and wiping out wildlife habitat and our ecology are quickly passing. There are far better alternatives to diversify our power resources so we are not hostage to a single generating model, and which will create jobs that are ongoing, provide the power we need, and lessen our footprint considerably. It’s time to transition from a 20th century energy model to a 21st century one.

BC First believes a holistic plan is required that takes into consideration other core human objectives such as quality of life, tourism, recreation, farming and the very attainable goal of food self sufficiency for BC. The capacity for agriculture in the unique micro-climate of the Peace River Valley is second only to the Fraser valley in terms of agricultural productivity, and has the potential to become BC’s “breadbasket”.

BC has the most designated park land in all of Canada, but much of it is remote and inaccessible. We have developed a comprehensive strategy for environment that includes a BC First “Community Parks Plan” to replace the “Carbon Tax” that will actually reduce CO2 by creating green belts in and around urban centers. These parks would also form a network of “wildlife highways” connecting to existing larger parks to develop an integrated system that respects the natural migration and ecology of BC wildlife and protects BC’s indigenous plant ecosystems.

BC First is proposing a “BC Heritage Fund” that will earmark a portion of conventional resource revenues to invest in “new” energy technology and jobs to make BC the world leader in sustainable, alternative energy. We would also provide incentives for individuals and small businesses for the creation and use of localized “green energy” technologies such as solar, wind, biodiesel and geothermal to help reduce pollution, lower energy costs, and increase individual choice in energy.

In BC, we can have our cake and eat it too when it comes to energy and environment. We just need the vision, desire, and courage to do it. Then and only then will the best model for BC emerge that is both practical and necessary, and which enjoys widespread support from all British Columbians.

For more information go to: www.bcfirst.com

 

Share

“Red Rafe” Mair: Madder Than Hell At The B.C. Liberals

Canada, Politics, WATER, Western Canada, ,
Share

From Westcoaster.ca – Feb 3, 2011

by Jessica Kirby

Former lawyer and cabinet minister turned political junkie
Rafe Mair will be visiting Port Alberni and Tofino in February to
discuss the Raven Coal project and environmental issues in B.C.

He and filmmaker Damien Gillis are promoting their recently launched “Common Sense Canadian,” a blog aimed at creating a platform for environmental discussion and action across the province.
According to the blog, “the Common Sense Canadian
tackles the issues that really matter to Canadians and the world, such
as water, energy, food, democracy – not to mention government corruption
and corporate greed.”
Mair says run-of-river power projects, those
that use the natural flow and elevation drop of a river to fuel power
generation, threaten every stream and river in B.C. and the ecology that
depends on them.
Most are products of contracts forced on BC Hydro
by the Liberal government, stipulating that the corporation has to
purchase power it doesn’t need from independent companies at twice the
export price, says Mair.
Mair and Gillis are on a cross-province
tour to reach every British Columbian with the message that it is  time
to say, “enough is enough” to the B.C. government, and demand protection
for the province’s natural resources.
Westcoaster.ca
caught up with Mair before the event to get his take on the key issues
affecting environmental health on Vancouver Island and in the rest of
the province.

How do you feel about the Raven Coal project?
Any
time a mining development is anywhere near the public, it is not quite
on. It’s not like we are short on coal, and if we need to use it for
energy, then there are all sorts of coal mines and coal deposits around
the world that don’t impede on land that is tender from an environmental
point of view and that are not close to people.

What I see with the Raven Mine is that it is too close to the
population and has to serve a market that does not serve B.C. I have a
problem with the mine situation because I understand that people have to
mine things, but what is lacking is public consultation before it
becomes a done deal.

One thing we’ve got to come to grips with in society is that we can’t
have a one-law-fits-all situation. Each place has different and
equities, and when it comes to mining the days of wading into someone’s
back yard with a pick axe are over. Society has developed and so options
are available – not mining near Fish Lake or not putting slag into it,
for example. It is new work for miners, but one has to take things like
Raven Mine and assess the situation and anyone with half a brain can see
that it is not on.

What is the most important environmental issue B.C. is facing right now?
It
is the run-of-rivers [power generation projects], no question about it.
The issue is agreements the Liberals made with independent power
generation companies. These are not mom and pop operations; they are
huge international companies like GE, Ledcor, and DuPont. They do not
let the water bubble along freely. In some cases they take away up to 90
per cent of the water. The ecology that depends on that river is
damaged; add that to the trees that are taken down for roads …

Point two is that BC Hydro is forced to pay double the export price
to IPPs, and they have to take it or pay it. Because of energy created
privately during spring run-off when BC Hydro doesn’t need it, it must
be used or exported instead of using what they can generate themselves
for a twelfth of the price.

The so-called run-of-rivers are hugely destructive of fish. They say
they don’t put weirs in pace where there are significant values of fish
to be hurt. This is just nonsense. There isn’t a single river in B.C.
without significant fish values.

The biggest problem is getting people to believe that any government
could be so fucking stupid. Their eyes glaze over as they think, “No one
would ever do that,” but that is exactly what they are doing.

Read full article

Share

Time Enviros Tune into in BC Politics

Canada, Politics, WATER, Western Canada, ,
Share

The time has come, the walrus said…no Rafe, the Liberal leadership only looks like Alice in Wonderland.

It is, though, time for all environmentalists to start looking very seriously at BC politics because after the NDP convention, we’ll be in the countdown to the next election. Even though the election will still be two years away, that will be the time we who care about environmental values must start turning it up, notch by notch.

In doing this I ask to you bear in mind my biases. I don’t give a damn who gets in as long as he/she opens up the private power file, produces all the secret energy purchase contracts so we can see which, if any, are in the public interest and axe the ones that aren’t, then cancels the Campbell Energy Plan, and, after consultation with the people, presents a new one.

When I say I don’t care who gets in this is not a light statement to be ignored.

Let us assume that, in our zeal to save our province, we elect a government that hashes things up but does save the environment, our farm land, our wildlife habitat, our fish, our rivers and their dependent ecologies, and BC Hydro in the bargain, we can then elect another government to clean up the mess.

It gets down to choices (the name of the game in BC politics as elsewhere)  – will you trade away Beautiful British Columbia for a short term bottom line? And while we’re on the subject, I would argue that on virtually every point the Campbell government is worse than the NDP of the 90s. I admit that’s damning with very faint praise but make your own comparison even of fiscal policy, bearing in mind Campbell’s gifts to the rich, his inability to see the obvious coming recession, his lying about the 2009 budget and the state of the deficit and provincial debt.

Those who support Gordon “Pinocchio” Campbell’s fiscal record by claiming that he was hit by hard times should go back to the time “Asian Flu” hit the NDP government and see how the Liberals in opposition gave them no peace regarding something over which they had no control and came as a surprise to everyone.

I cannot see any Liberal candidate who will change a thing.

As you follow the debates, see how often the environment/energy issue or BC Rail comes up!

Kevin Falcon is Gordon Campbell, plus, plus, plus. Christy Clark has good looks and glibness but nothing else. George Abbott hasn’t the jam to deal with environment/energy issues by letting the public have a say and Mike de Jong has been an integral part of the Campbell government throughout and is the man who paid the money to end the Basi/Virk case and continue the government cover-up of the BC Rail mess.

A pox on all their houses!

What about the NDP?

They have a big problem with their optics. The real problem with the NDP of the 90s wasn’t fiscal but an inability to look like a government what with its scandals and revolving door leadership. What this demonstrated more than anything else was a lack of discipline.

For one, I have a problem with party discipline where it chokes off independent opinions which is what happens in all Canadian parliaments. That said, there must be sufficient discipline to keep the ship from hitting the Lorelei.

Unfortunately, the public seems to like tough, uncompromising discipline and somehow the NDP must square this circle.

As I’ve often pointed out, the NDP is, by nature, a disputatious lot.

The only candidate to have spoken out, forcibly, on the environment/energy issue is John Horgan. I’ve met and spent some time with Horgan and I believe he means what he says about opening up the IPP contracts and ending the rape of our rivers.

According to a recent Ipsos-Reid poll, the leaders are, in descending order, Farnworth, John Horgan, Nicholas Simons and Adrian Dix.

I’ve spoken about Horgan, who is clearly the soundest on our issues – now let me deal with the others.

Farnworth is a fine man and would, in my estimation, be a good choice depending on his stand on the environment/energy issue. Accordingly, I suspend judgment until we know what his position is.

Adrian Dix carries an open political wound over his fake e-mail in an attempt to cover-up the problem Premier Clark got in over his neighbour who helped fix Clark’s house at the same time he was making an application for a gambling license. Dix, to his credit – and unlike so many politicians – ‘fessed up promptly.

He is a pit bull much like Kevin Falcon and if that match-up came to pass what excitement that would bring to our politics.

Adrian Dix has been outstanding in the Legislature and I look forward to learning his position on the environment/energy.

Unfortunately I don’t know Nicholas Simons except to say hello, so judgment must be suspended. He, like all the candidates, has been offered a blog on our website (www.thecanadian.org) on environment/energy matters..

I’ve already wasted time typing this but the Conservatives may and only may take a few votes from the Liberals.

It’s interesting to consider a third party and the only one with a chance is the BC First Party under the pro tem leadership of Chris Delaney. I’ve been following this with considerable interest since, it seems to me, there is a great gap in the middle and that Delaney has moved from the right (Conservative) seamlessly. I’m not surprised because I believe this has been happening for a long time.

My read of it is that Delaney couldn’t stomach the Liberals so tried other avenues which, to date, have failed.

I believe that Chris has blotted his copybook staying with the Recall movement more out of loyalty than conviction. But time will tell.

There are two times in my memory when a “third party” has been successful – 1952 and 1991. 2013 looks like the situations back then.

In 1952 the Liberal Coalition crumbled and this left a huge gap in the middle which W.A.C Bennett charged into with his HMS Pinafore-like Social Credit Party.

In 1991, again the middle opened up as the Social Credit Party collapsed and the Gordon Wilson led Liberals went into the fray with no seats and ended up with 17 and Official Opposition status.

Speaking of 1991, what will Gordon Wilson do? He’s a political animal as is his wife Judi Tyabi-Wilson. I would be very surprised to learn that they haven’t been talking to Delaney. It would be a very powerful combination especially since the Wilsons would offset any concerns that Delaney was too far right.

The Green Party is the hardest one for me to handle. I’ve voted Green three times but strictly as a protest. On environment/energy issues they are clearly on our side.

Problem. Big time problem. Under our “first past the post” system they can’t win in spite of a good leader in Jane Sterk.

Try as they might, they can’t convince voters that they’re more than a one issue party. And that’s a damned shame.

One thing’s for sure – for political junkies it’s going to be a helluva ride!

Share

Alex Tsakumis: Rafe Mair & the CBC BS

Canada, Politics, Western Canada, , ,
Share

From AlexGTsakumis.com – Feb 2, 2011

I’ve always enjoyed the CBC. Even though I grew up a CJOR junkie and then an CKNW addict, I always enjoyed the CBC.

Now, listening to Stephen Quinn and Rick Cluff from time to time is
some very good radio, but the CBC, Canada’s media mothership–and often
the motherload of politically correct pabulum, can be a very trying
place to get some balance. They do, after all, feature a hypocritical
fruit fly biologist as the paragon of environmental nirvana and are a
notorious (mismanaged!) drain on our pockets.

But this bit of local rabble had me scratching my head.

Still does.

Rafe Mair has found himself in a bit of controversy, in my opinion,
for doing the right thing: Rafe, a friend and fan of this blog, was
asked by a CBC producer to find something nice and not so nice to say
about Gordon Campbell seeing as some testimonial was on its way.

Rafe, every bit the iconoclast, took the principled position of
telling the CBC that he could NOT find anything nice to say about
Campbell. In turn, the producer axed Rafe’s participation, for that day,
on the CBC panel that includes Erin Chutter and Moe Sihota.

Frankly, Mair is the only useful talkinghead on the damn thing.
Chutter’s opinions range from occasionally on to meteorically sophomoric
and Sihota has no business being there when he’s the President of the
NDP and collecting from unions to do so.

To say I’m disappointed in the mother ship is an understatement.

For shame. I, too, hope Rafe is back next week and survives this
not-so-quaint bit of censorship–because that’s exactly what it amounts
to. Otherwise, you can forget that panel–without Rafe its relevancy is
zilch.

For shame.

Read full article and Rafe’s statement

Share

Scientist Quits Provincial Panel on Tar Sands Over Government Muzzling

Canada, Energy and Resources, Politics, Tar Sands,
Share

From The Calgary Herald – Feb 2, 2011

by Kelly Cryderman

CALGARY – Just days after the makeup of a provincial panel
meant to revamp oilsands monitoring was announced, an American member
has quit saying there’s not enough scientists in the group and the
Alberta government wants to muzzle free discussion.

“I’m
concerned that First Nations may think this is yet another snow job by a
bunch of experts who speak a lot of technical speak,” said Helen
Ingram, a University of California-Irvine professor emeritus who
specializes in public policy on water resources.

However,
Alberta Environment argues there are eight scientists on the panel with
PhDs, and rules governing disclosure of information by panel members
have yet to be finalized.

Ingram and 11 others were named
by Alberta Environment Minister Rob Renner last Thursday as members of a
panel to provide recommendations for creating a “world-class
environmental monitoring system” for the oilsands.

The
group, which meets for the first time next week, is co-chaired by Hal
Kvisle, who retired as president and chief executive of Trans­Canada
Corp. last year, but is still an adviser to the pipeline company.
TransCanada moves thousands of barrels per day of oilsands products to
market and is seeking environmental approval for the $7-billion Keystone
XL project to transport more bitumen to U.S. refiners.

The
other co-chair is Howard Tennant, the former president and
vice-chancellor of the University of Lethbridge. Other members include
public health experts, biological science and geology professors,
environmental consultants, a vice-president from the Canadian
Association of Petroleum Producers and a former adviser to Prime
Minister Stephen Harper.

Even though she’s “really . . . concerned that the tarsands get appropriate monitoring,” Ingram gave her notice on Tuesday.

Her
three main concerns were that the panel schedule set doesn’t allow for
her to attend key meetings, there are too few physical scientists – such
as hydrologists – on the panel, and early instructions suggested she
and other members would not be able to discuss oilsands issues with
scientific colleagues or others without first getting the permission of
the minister.

Ingram said she’s used to some level of confidentiality while sitting on panels, but this seemed a step too far.

Read full article

Share

Issues NDP Can Win On…If They’re Smart Enough

Canada, Politics, WATER, Western Canada, , ,
Share

The New Liberal leader will, on several questions, be like the fighter sitting on his stool and refusing to answer the bell because he knows he’s going to get the crap knocked out of him.

One of those is BC Rail.

Another is private v public power which, in essence, is combined into Campbell’s so-called run-of-river policy.

We must all know that no matter who the leader is, he/she will duck these issues and they will be greatly aided by the mainstream media people who are not allowed, apparently, to bring them up.

For the NDP this is a glorious opportunity to win, outright, two huge issues – but before they can do that they must establish their understanding of these two issues and offer solutions.

The NDP didn’t have the opportunity to really deal with BC Rail for the serious stuff was before the courts and no one would have believed that the Liberals would shut the case down just as former Minister of Finance, Gary Collins, and the Premier himself were to give evidence.

On the Energy/Rivers issue the NDP was woefully weak in the election campaign. For much of the campaign the NDP candidate could only sloganize (a new word I just invented) with such puffery as “we’ve got to stop giving our rivers away”, which was true but scarcely did the issue justice. The NDP have a history of sloganizing – neat little ditties that mask ignorance or lack of courage or both. They bring an appropriate giggle and applause at NDP bun tosses but do nothing to enlighten the voter or present a solution.

First, then, the NDP must show that it understands the colossal and perfidious – in the sense of cheating citizens – policy the Gordon Campbell government have us involved in. The giveaway is immense – large corporations get subsidized by the public to get paid double or more what their power is worth by BC Hydro (at a huge loss), for power that’s not for British Columbians but for export.  

Read that again. It defies belief doesn’t it? And until this issue is understood by political parties it won’t be understood by the public.

The secret contracts BC Hydro is forced to make are unconscionable. The NDP must pledge to make them public and if they are indeed unconscionable, refuse to honour them. The analogy is rather like the mayor elected to clean up city hall, then, when elected, promising to honour all the sweetheart deals his predecessor made with his family and cronies.

Politics is a tough game and demands courageous answers to difficult questions. This means that the party itself must understand the issues and have the platform very firm on what’s wrong and what must happen.

This is not easy, for the business community will scream and the NDP has done a lot of work to make inroads there. Business people, in general, don’t like the NDP anyway but smaller business people are far easier to deal with. Once the policy is in place, NDP spokespeople around the province must speak, with knowledge, to the people all around BC, the business community being welcome. They won’t be the only ones out in the communities speaking on this subject.

I do know of one NDP candidate who thoroughly understands this issue – John Horgan. Others may also understand and we at The Common Sense Canadian would welcome a blog from any other leadership candidate interested in letting our readership hear their view.

I’m often accused of being a turncoat because I was once a Social Credit Minister.

Sticks and stones etc … I’ve been a strong environmentalist for a great many years. I don’t believe for one second that Premier Bill Bennett would have jeopardized – hell, killed – BC Hydro for any reason much less by forcing them to pay private companies double for energy it didn’t need meaning they had to export it at a huge loss.

If he had believed that, we’d never have met, let alone become colleagues.

I believe with every fiber that the saving of our environment – our salmon, our rivers and the ecologies they support – is far and away the biggest political issue of the day. As I often said during the last election – a government might be a very bad government on fiscal issues but if it is, that can be fixed by a new government.

Once you lose your farmland, your fish, your rivers and the ecologies they support, you can never get them back.

Share

Lawrence Martin: What Direction for Canada’s Troubled Democracy?

Canada, Politics, ,
Share

From the Globe & Mail – Feb 1, 2011

by Lawrence Martin

Will the Arab states cascade into the splendid embrace of democracy the way the Soviet states did two decades ago?

The
tumult in Tunisia and Egypt brings to mind two things. One is those
Soviet years when I was stationed in Moscow for this newspaper. Another
is the weakened state of Canadian democracy and whether we’re prepared
to do anything about it.

When Mikhail Gorbachev introduced the politics of glasnost
in 1985, everyone thought it was a ruse, just another blast of Soviet
propaganda. But that policy was what set the stage for freedom’s rise
and the Cold War’s close.

For the Arab states of North Africa and
the Middle East, there’s no grand political overseer who can loosen the
strings as Mr. Gorbachev did. What was remarkable was that he had the
entire Soviet police state apparatus at his disposal, as well as the
military. Despite deteriorating economic conditions, he could have
maintained a totalitarian lock on power. But he was enlightened enough
about the West to know how his system compared.

By coincidence,
the current upheavals take place a year after Canadians took to the
streets to stage, by comparison, their own trifling protests against, by
comparison, smallish abuses of their democratic system by their
government. Specifically, it was Stephen Harper’s government’s decision
to suspend Parliament in the wake of the Afghan detainees controversy
that sparked the protest. But that suspension was only one in a long
line of affronts in recent times.

There’s been so many that
Democracy Watch is calling for a grassroots Coffee Party movement.
Democracy Watch is a small group but, since its inception in 1993, it’s
been one of the most persistent in trying to hold Liberal and
Conservative governments to account. It isn’t government-funded, and it
isn’t easily intimidated.

Most everywhere it turns, it can see
which way our democracy is headed. On the question of openness and
access to information – our very own glasnost – Canada finished
last in a recent survey of five parliamentary democracies. On the
question of political morality, the governing Conservatives have made
personal attack ads, as Green Party Leader Elizabeth May lamented
Monday, the new normal.

The Conservatives had a plan – a good one –
to replace our rancid system of patronage appointments with a public
appointments commission. But it was scuttled. They had hopes our Senate
could be democratized. A good idea, too. But instead, it’s been filled
with Conservative cronies.

Owing to brutal partisanship,
Parliament’s committee system has become increasingly dysfunctional.
Watchdog groups such as the Integrity Commissioner’s Office have been
turned into lapdogs. The public service’s policy development function,
once significant, has been blunted. An unprecedented government-wide
vetting system instituted by the Tories has stifled free speech.

Read full article

Share

Environment Minister Kent targets critics in first major speech

Canada, Politics,
Share

From the Times-Colonist – Jan 28, 2011

by Linda Nguyen

TORONTO — Federal Environment Minister Peter Kent has only been on
the job for three weeks but says he’s already tired of the criticism
from people who think the government is not taking any action on the
environment.

“As an aside, just weeks into this job let me
say how especially frustrating I find the constant, critical refrain
that this government has no environment plan,” he said Friday in Toronto
during a noon-hour speech with the Economic Club of Canada.

“Not only do we have one, we are one of the very few countries that does.”

Canada
also does not need to enact any new laws to deal with the issue of
climate change or reach targets for greenhouse gas emissions, Kent told
the crowd in his first major speech since being promoted to the
high-profile portfolio earlier this month.

“What many
people don’t realize is that Environment Canada already has the legal
tools it needs to execute our plan,” said Kent, who was most recently
Foreign Affairs minister. “It requires no new legislation.”

He is the fourth environment minister to serve under the Stephen Harper government since it was elected in 2006.

Read full article

Share

Ecojustie on Updating Water Act: B.C.’s water to be sold to the highest bidder?

Canada, Politics, WATER, Western Canada,
Share

From Ecojustice.ca – Jan 26, 2011

by Randy Christensen

For the past several years, there has been a multitude of discussion papers, extensive public consultations and big speeches from the B.C. Government on the effort to “modernize” the B.C. Water Act. It’s the law that governs who gets to use water, for what, when, where, and who gets the priority when there’s not enough to go around.

Everyone agrees the systems is broken, it’s only a question of what to do about it.

All of the public statements from June 2008 until December 2010 were unambiguous in promising strong legal protections for environmental flows and revisiting the antiquated and highly problematic “first in time, first in right system.” More importantly, the B.C. Government de-emphasized the potential adoption of “market reforms” such as “water rights trading” that has devastated communities around the globe.

But what was a well-intentioned and well-managed process seems to have fallen victim to B.C.’s current political turmoil. In late December the B.C. Government posted the “proposed framework” for new water laws that in introduces water rights trading (section 5). Troublingly, the strong legal protections for environmental flows have been downgraded to guidelines that merely have to be “considered” when someone wants to take water from a stream (section 1).

In the current leadership vacuum, those managing the process have become politically risk adverse and are simply defaulting to the blueprints of conservative governments around the world. This approach downplays the need for good governance and views markets as a solution that solvers any and all problems.

Read full story

Share