* Ready or not, painful or not, we are in the middle of a huge shift from an oil dependent economy to one that is run on renewables, the Great Transition. Our governments and the corporations that control them – the people and structures that have become out-of-this-world wealthy from
Continue readingTag: Northern Gateway
BigCityLib Strikes Back: Adrian Dix On Trans Mountain (Kinder Morgan) Pipeline
Announcing his environmental platform, Dix said he does “not expect Vancouver to become a major export oil port” as he said appears to be contemplated in the Kinder Morgan proposal.Dix would not definitively rule out the project, saying the company has yet to submit a formal proposal.But he said he
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: Did Joe Oliver Just Declare War on British Columbia?
A solid and steadily growing majority of British Columbians want nothing to do with Alberta’s bitumen pipelines crossing our province to our coast. Fewer of us still want bitumen-laden supertankers plying our pristine northern coastal waters or Vancouver’s inner harbour. According to our federal government’s reptilian industry minister, Joe Oliver,
Continue readingBigCityLib Strikes Back: Dear Americans: Don’t Approve Keystone XL Because Of US
Because, try as they might, our government has failed to convince the majority of Canadians outside Alberta that we need a pipeline to the Gulf (or to the West Coast, for that matter): Astounding, really, most polls of Americans show a mirror image of this result. Mind you, their pipeline
Continue readingBigCityLib Strikes Back: CIBC: Keystone XL Not Enough
“…it’s increasingly important that Canada move on one or more of the alternative pipelines to get our product headed Asia’s way. Canada’s own central and eastern oil markets are another option, but longer term demand growth there is also likely to be lackluster.”Its worth noting TransCanada Corps. stock price after
Continue readingBigCityLib Strikes Back: Enbridge Springs Another Leak
I mentioned this a week or so ago; it was the fourth leak since February, and it looks like there will finally be some consequences: The National Energy Board has ordered Enbridge Pipeline Inc. to perform an engineering assessment on the Wrigley to Mackenzie section of the Norman Wells pipeline.
Continue readingBigCityLib Strikes Back: Ethical Oil–Still Dead?
Back in December 2012, former Executive Director of the Ethical Oil Institute Jamie Ellerton wrote:I remain with Ethical Oil as the part-time spokesperson. Stay tuned for what’s to come in the new year. Four months into the new year, and the stench of death still envelopes their website. E-mails to Jamie (last one
Continue readingMontreal Simon: Stephen Harper’s Witch Hunt Backfires Badly
Well it has been a year since Stephen Harper declared war on environmentalists.And started going after the Green Menace like Joe McCarthy went after the red one. Calling respected environmental groups "radicals" and "extremists" and ordering that they be investigated. Now the first results are in, and no doubt Harper is rolling
Continue readingMontreal Simon: How to Fight Back Against The Porky Action Ads
Gawd. You just can't teach old Cons new tricks eh?For there they are bombarding the airwaves with their grotesque Porky Action Plan ads again. Even though it's costing a fortune. The Harper government spent $21 million on major advertising campaigns under its Economic Action Plan brand in 2011-12, according to the
Continue readingMontreal Simon: Joe Oliver’s Most Embarrassing Photo-Op
As you know Joe Oliver has had some pretty bad news conferences eh?Like the time he called environmentalists radicals or dangerous extremists.Or the time he claimed we would be able to drink the tarry bubbly from the tailing ponds.Well, the other day he held another big photo-op in Vancouver, and
Continue readingBigCityLib Strikes Back: Enbridge Leaks
There’s holes in its Norman Wells pipeline. And Kalamazoo clean-up costs are exceeding estimates, so the company is also leaking money.
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: What Sideshow Steve Never Learned in Bible School
Harper, to the extent he thinks at all, thinks regular inspection of bitumen supertankers and a bit more aerial surveillance should put coastal British Columbians’ concerns to rest. Harper curiously doesn’t know that the Hecate Strait is truly biblical. The massive winds that tear at the place can actually part
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: Harper to Unveil West Coast Oil Spill Prevention Programme
The Harper government, or someone on its behalf, will show up in Vancouver today to announce that Ottawa has heard our concerns and has prepared a “world class” oil spill programme to mollify our concerns about a tanker disaster on the west coast. Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver and Transport
Continue readingBigCityLib Strikes Back: From The Manning Conference
Kady O’Malley posted this shot from the Manning confab yesterday. I’m not sure if its supposed to be from a poll of all Canadians of self-declared conservatives. Either way it shows the Federal and Alberta government’s have been doing a terrible job pitching their various pipe-line projects. No wonder Preston
Continue readingBigCityLib Strikes Back: Martha Hall Findlay Flip Flops On Northern Gateway
I haven’t heard this mentioned in any of the coverage of yesterday’s LPoC leadership debate, but on February 26th MHF was for Northern Gateway Pipeline; as of yesterday’s debate, she’s sudddenly agin it. That’s what you call a policy reversal…a waffle…a dither…a flip flop, even. Worth noting too that among the
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: Enbridge Pulls Out All the Stops
In yesterday’s paper there was a story that, contrary to eco-terrorists’ claims, dilbit floats and so is quite amenable to conventional oil spill recovery efforts. The claim, naturally, came from an Enbridge spokesman. Guess what? He’s right. Dilbit, the mixture of bitumen and the dilutents necessary to lower its
Continue readingBigCityLib Strikes Back: In Which Enbridge Admits
…that diluted bitumen can sink, thus acknowledging reality. Getting them to that point was a bit like pulling teeth, however.
Continue readingBigCityLib Strikes Back: Latest Poll On Northern Gateway
A new poll has found 61 per cent of B.C. residents oppose Enbridge’s proposed Northern Gateway pipeline, while support is at 35 per cent. And the Insights West online survey found opponents of the project are more entrenched – 38 per cent are strongly opposed, compared to just 11 per
Continue readingBigCityLib Strikes Back: An Oil Spill Will… Pt II
“We had four deaths in first year –two died within two months.” I now have said goodbye to 17 people who I met since the oil spill…” Remember The Kalamazoo.
Continue readingBigCityLib Strikes Back: An Oil Spill Will…
…hurt your business base. Companies will relocate or close. Your tax base will disappear. Your communities will lose tourism and future businesses, as companies don’t want to locate there,” she said.“…You’ll have to pay more into the medical care of your citizens. Your system is different than ours, but you’re
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