BC Liberals Pat Pimm and Blair Lekstrom have proposed a delegation agreement for the Peace River Valley, a move that is intended to free them of political responsibility for development of the fertile farmland in a region that represents 1/3 of British Columbia’s Agricultural Land Reserve, and effectively deprives the
Continue readingTag: energy
Things Are Good: Windfarms do not Kill Birds
There have been allegations that wind turbines kill birds and thus are a negative power system overall. Science to the rescue! Ornithologists have completed a study about migratory birds and how well they fare around wind farms. The answer? Birds are fine. The study, which is published in the Journal
Continue readingNorthern Insight: The word is malfeasance, AKA theft
http://saveourrivers.tv/powerplay_player5.html Protect salmon habitat? Protect BC consumers? Protect BC taxpayers? No way. H/T John W.
Continue readingThings Are Good: New Windfarm for Shetland Islands to Power 175,000 Homes
The Shetland Islands will be getting what is expected to be the most productive wind farm on the planet. Wind blows across the islands almost all the time thus producing a space friendly to wind turbine efficiency. The joint venture between energy giant SSE and Viking Energy Ltd, owned by
Continue readingThe Liberal Scarf: Conservative attacks on eco groups should give LPC an opportunity to reach out
A lot has been written about the attacks on environmental groups in the recent Conservative budget, most of it negative, such as this Globe and Mail editorial: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/editorials/budgets-new-rules-unfairly-target-environmental-groups/article2387590/ While the Conservatives are wasting your tax dollars to go after legitimate environmental groups (full disclosure: I am currently working part time
Continue readingPolitics, Re-Spun: Canada’s Scorched Earth Hour
8:30pm tonight is Earth hour, where towns and cities in more than 135 countries turn off their lights. For one hour. To save the planet from climate change. To be fair, the World Wildlife Fund for Nature conceived of Earth Hour as an awareness-raising tool, to get people engaged and
Continue readingDeSmogBlog: Oil Industry Lobbyist / Mushroom Farmer Claims Family Farms Need Fracking
Fracking_Graphic_t670.jpg Because apparently the only way for small American farmers to sustain themselves is not with crops they produce, but by letting the good 'ole gas man tap the reserves under their land. "Agriculture and industry go together, if you want prosperity in these little towns, you need balance, that's the
Continue readingeaves.ca: Next Generation Open Data: Personal Data Access
This post matters. If you’re involved in the healthcare sector or a energy utility, please read. Background This Monday I had the pleasure of being in Mexico City for the OECD’s High Level Meeting on e-Government. CIO’s from a number of countries were present – including Australia, Canada, the UK
Continue readingThings Are Good: Denmark Increases Green Energy Transition
Denmark is getting looking to have 50% of it’s energy come from wind power and are looking to further their need to import any energy at all. Not only is Denmark looking to lower the need for foreign energy they are trying to decrease the amount of energy that the
Continue readingThe Progressive Economics Forum: Enbridge Pipe Dreams and Nightmares
CCPA released today a report by yours truly on the economic costs and benefits of the proposed Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipeline. In particular, I take aim at the outrageous claims about jobs made by the feds and Enbridge as part of their sales pitch. The report takes a closer look at the input-output
Continue readingDeSmogBlog: Fact Checking The New Paul Ryan Budget on Energy and Environment
ryan_620x350.jpg Representative Paul Ryan (R–WI) has released his budget for fiscal year 2013. To almost no one’s surprise, his outline is filled with too many falsehoods and outright lies to count. After analyzing just one section of his proposal – the section on energy and the environment – more than
Continue readingEnvironmental Law Alert Blog: Enbridge linked to PNCIMA cancellation
Wednesday, March 7, 2012 Revelations on Sunday that Enbridge had actively, and successfully, lobbied the federal government to walk away from a decade long planning process with Coastal First Nations and the Province of BC do nothing to help the company’s embattled pipeline and tankers project, or its reputation with
Continue readingThe Progressive Economics Forum: Canada – The Petrotyranny
The revelations over how the federal Tories used a robo-calling firm (or firms) to contact voters in possibly 30 or more ridings during last year’s election – misleading them about where polling stations were located – is just another example of the Harper government’s undemocratic tactics. This is on top
Continue readingPaul S. Graham: Tar Sands, Tories and Ethical Oil – an interview with Shelley Glover, MP
St. Boniface MP Shelley Glover recently lectured Winnipeg broadcaster Michael Welch of CKUW-FM 95.9 on the virtues of “ethical oil” and the “balanced” approach of the Conservative government to energy development that has obtained the “support” of aboriginal people for tar sands development and the Enbridge Pipeline Proposal. Michael checked
Continue readingCarbon49 - a blog on sustainability for Canadian businesses: Three CEOs in One Room: Walmart, Coca-Cola, Unilever
Some of the biggest CEOs in Canada come together for the Walmart Green Student Challenge. I took this rare opportunity to ask them: Where is sustainability going for Canadian industries? Walmart, Coca-Cola, and Unilever already share best practices for their common goals in sustainability. Now they want to see more
Continue readingPaul S. Graham: Video Report: Tar Sands, Pipelines & Tankers
The National Energy Board is conducting hearings on Enbridge’s proposal for a pipeline from Alberta’s tar sands to the town of Kitimat in the heart of BC’s Great Bear Rainforest. If approved, over 200 oil tankers would be navigating the difficult waters off BC’s Northwest Coast each year, making widespread
Continue readingNorthern Insights / Perceptivity: Neighbours should help neighbors
MSNBC reported on U.S. gas prices Sunday morning, discussing, “a growing fear among Americans that gas could soon reach $5 per gallon.” My first thought was perhaps we can help our friends suffering from high oil prices. Increase tar sands production. Ship more Canadian crude; build those Keystone XL and Northern
Continue readingThings Are Good: Hot Invention Cools Down Environment
A seemingly banal industrial component is a heat exchanger and they can be ridiculously inefficient. What a heat exchanger does is regulate the temperature of machines that have to be kept cool like an industrial sized-fridge. At Concordia, a doctoral student has created a new device that can make heat
Continue readingPolitics, Re-Spun: Politics, Re-Spun on COOP Radio Tonight at 6pm
Tonight at 6pm [East Vancouver time], Politics, Re-Spun teams up with The Rational on COOP Radio with an analog radio show at 102.7fm in Vancouver, which will be streaming live at COOPRadio.org and interactively in a multimedia liveblog here below. Here is what we’ve got tonight: 1. Tia Everitt interviewing
Continue readingPolitics, Re-Spun: Liveblogging Today’s NDP Leaders Debate
Today’s NDP leadership debate lands in Quebec. I’m using 14 criteria to evaluate who I’ll be voting for. Let me know if you have suggestions for improved criteria. 2012.02.12 NDP Leaders Debate February 2, 2012 — NDP Leaders, By the Numbers and the Intangibles (0) August 27, 2011 — Liveblog
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