BC Natural Gas Minister Rich Coleman (Damien Gillis) Read this Oct. 7 story from The Vancouver Sun on the BC Liberal government’s scheme to lower natural gas royalties and taxes in order to attract investment in a new liquefied natural gas industry. The move directly contradicts the government’s promise of $100 Billion
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The Common Sense Canadian: Global Greens React to Ongoing COP 19 Negotiations
We are on a collision course to global disaster with a dangerous disconnect between the political timetable and what science is warning us – Elizabeth May COP 19 – Global Greens Political Perspectives for climate: Warsaw climate conference should produce real action and progress on an ambitious 2015 agreement! The
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Site C Dam hearings designed to discourage public participation, critics say
Opponents of Site C Dam paddle the Peace River (Damien Gillis) Read this Nov. 21 story from The Vancouver Sun on criticism of the public hearings for the proposed Site C Dam, scheduled over the holiday season in northeast BC. The Wilderness Committee says the lack of any hearings outside of the Peace region and short
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: The day I discovered the Harper Government spying on me
by Emma Gilchrist – cross-post from Desmog Canada Nov. 19th, 2013. A Tuesday. The day started out sunny, but hail fell out of the sky in the afternoon. It was a Victoria day like any other until I found out the Canadian government has been vigorously spying on several Canadian
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: LNG in a Nutshell
Damien Gillis stitches together the big picture of the impacts of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and the fracking from which it would derive if the BC Liberal Government’s vision to build five plants on BC’s coast goes forward. From a Nov.18 discussion at Vancouver’s SFU Harbour Centre – alongside the
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Chinese company looks to fuel trucks with LNG plants in Vancouver, Edmonton
Read this Nov. 19 story from The Vancouver Sun on Chinese-owned company ENN Canada’s plan to build liquefied natural gas plants in Vancouver and Edmonton to provide fuel for the trucking industry. CALGARY — Two companies are teaming up to build liquefied natural gas plants in Vancouver and Edmonton to serve the
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Harper Government, CSIS spying on Enbridge critics
Grand Chief Stewart Phillip is one Enbridge critic whose activities are being followed by CSIS (Damien Gillis) Read this Nov. 19 story from The Vancouver Observer on the spying of Harper Government agencies on critics of Enbridge, unearthed through an Access to Information search. The federal government has been vigorously spying on
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Talisman frackwater pit leaked for months, kept from public
Four frackwater pits in Talisman’s Farrell Creek operations in northeast BC – photo taken in March. Pond A, on the far right, suffered a rupture, leaking contaminants into the soil and groundwater (Two Island Films) by Damien Gillis and Will Koop A pit storing contaminated fracking water in northeast BC
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Premier Christy Clark defends LNG industry’s carbon footprint
photo: Tina Lovgreen / BCIT Commons Read this Nov. 13 story from CBC.ca on BC Premier Christy Clark’s response to mounting concerns over the massive carbon footprint associated with her government’s plan to build an LNG industry. The five major plants the province envisions for BC’s coast would dramatically boost
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Chinese state-owned oil company joint BC LNG hunt
State-owned CNOOC is making a play on BC LNG (Canadian Press) Read this Nov. 12 story from The Globe and Mail on the latest contestant in BC’s gas rush – announcing a deal to buy some crown land north of Prince Rupert for yet another proposed LNG plant on BC’s coast.
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Fort St. John landowner built rodeo on farmland, against Commission ruling
Controversial development of rodeo ground on farmland near Fort St. John (The Horse Park) Read this Nov. 13 story from CBC.ca revealing that northeast BC landowner Terry McLeod has built part of a rodeo ground in contravention of a recent ruling. Local MLA and BC Liberal Agriculture Minister Pat Pimm
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Athabasca River contaminated by Canada’s largest coal slurry spill
Read this Nov. 8 story from EcoWatch on what is quite possibly Canada’s largest coal slurry spill, which happened in late October near Hinton, Alberta. A scary thing happened on Halloween near Hinton, Alberta. Canada had what may be the largest coal slurry spill in its history when a dam
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Solar power already beating coal on job creation, energy cost
Read this Nov. 5 story from the Huffington Post illustrating 5 reasons why solar power is already a viable alternative to fossil fuels. It’s frustrating to still hear dissenters say that renewable energy is not ready to compete with fossil fuels as a means to power our country. The solar industry is growing
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: LNG & Fracking: Risky Business for BC – Nov 18, Vancouver
The BC Government is touting liquefied natural gas (LNG) extracted by fracking as so profitable it could eliminate the provincial debt. But fracking to export LNG has questionable economics, and devastating effects including water pollution and GHG emissions about as bad for climatic stability as coal. Damien Gillis, a Vancouver-based documentary filmmaker will
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: World Energy Outlook 2013 – Executive Summary
Executive Summary from the World Energy Outlook 2013 The International Energy Agency’s authoritative World Energy Outlook provides an analysis of global energy markets highlighting the world’s energy and environmental challenges. Orientation for a fast-changing energy world Many of the long-held tenets of the energy sector are being rewritten. Major importers
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Delta Council OK’s Southlands development – proposal now goes to Metro
Photo: Anne Murray Read this November 8 story from the Vancouver Sun on Delta Mayor Lois Jackson and Council’s 6-1 vote in favour of Century Group’s application to build 950 homes on the Southlands agricultural property. Read The Common Sense Canadian’s commentary on the plan. Delta council has approved the controversial Southlands development
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Clark, Redford reach Alberta-BC oil pipeline deal
BC and Alberta Premiers Christy Clark and Alison Redford (CP photo) Read this Nov. 5 story from The Globe and Mail on the deal reached today by BC Premier Christy Clark and her Alberta counterpart, Alison Redford, on moving Tar Sands bitumen by pipeline to BC’s coast. B.C. Premier Christy Clark
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Encana laying off 20% of workforce, slashing dividend
Encana’s Calgary headquarters – The Bow building Read this Nov. 5 story from CBC.ca on Canadian natural gas titan Encana’s series of cutbacks. Canadian natural gas giant Encana says it will cut its workforce by 20 per cent and close its office in Plano, Texas. At the end of the
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Port’s secret donation to coal conference raises questions of bias
Read this Oct. 31 story from 24 hrs revealing that Port Metro Vancouver donated $5,000 to a coal conference – then asked for its logo to be removed – while it reviews a proposal to expand the Surrey Fraser coal terminal. Newly released documents suggest Port Metro Vancouver, the federal regulator
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Scientists say fracking can’t fulfill America’s energy needs
A Pennsylvania fracking operation Read this Nov. 1 story from Energy Daily, featuring comments from two different energy experts who question claims that fracking can somehow make America energy self-sufficient. After 10 years of production, shale gas in the United States cannot be considered commercially viable, according to several scientists presenting at
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