In Canada, Big Oil Trumps Environment Every Time
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 05.25.07
Canada has great plans for controlling greenhouse gases, except of course where it might hurt oil sands development in Alberta. And of course in Maritime Canada where jobs are scarce. And when the Irvings, who own the Province of New Brunswick are on the phone. And when six out of ten cars in Boston run on Irving oil.
So when the Irvings propose a new seven billion dollar, 300,000 barrel per day refinery there is no real worry about it, even though the existing refinery pumps out 3.3 million tonnes of CO2 per year and is one of Canada's 25 biggest emitters. And we can't jave things like environmental assessments of the project slow it down, so Environment Minister John Baird just exempted it from the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act. After all he says the refinery "will provide great economic benefits for the province, a lot of jobs, a lot of hope, a lot of opportunity will be created with that. If we didn't have an intensity-based system (for regulating greenhouse gas emissions) that wouldn't be able to go ahead." Irvings say jump; Baird says "how high?" ::CBC
I'm absolutely sick of hearing how prosperous something is at the moment or will be shortly, and how our leaders have such little foresight any more. Why do we feel the need to worry about ourselves at this moment and not tomorrow. John Baird...I assume you've got 2.1 kids like everyone else...why don't you start planning for their future. John Baird and Harper are acting like oil companies will be there (and volunteer) to take care of their children. I'm a voting Canadian and my vote will go to the party that sees to it that the oil sands and all other aspects of the oil industry will be held accountable for their environmental impact.
LA: happily.
That photo is mine. It is posted at . It is dual licensed under Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike 2.5 and the GFDL, so you can use it, but please give me credit
Whether the author of this rather whiny-sounding editorial likes it or not, people in New Brunswick need good jobs and a better economy. Irving provides that -- right now. People who can't make the mortgage payments, or provide adequately for their families, really don't give a tinker's curse for the opinions of fey organic latte-sipping Torontonians with their "let them eat cake" attitudes.
As a former Torontonian, over the years I've come to understand why the rest of the country would like to grab you by your collective collars and give you a good shake.
mike h.: How many "people who can't make the mortgage payments, or provide adequately for their families...." live in New Brunswick? How much of this poverty is caused by the lack of enough oil refineries? Could more sustainable economic development policies bring more prosperity in the long run? On the other hand, how much hardship might be caused by an expansion of the oil industry in the region? (Hint: ask an Alaskan about the Exxon Valdez.) How much of this discussion will not happen due to the lack of a full Environmental Assessment of the refinery project?
In any event, your Toronto-bashing misses the point. Please read the actual CBC article linked at the end of the original post. It does not mention anyone from Toronto. It quotes one critic of the project: the New Brunswick Conservation Council, who are "appalled" by John Baird's decison.
John Baird has not even replied to a letter from the New Brunswick Conservation Council in the past three months. In contrast, Baird flew "...to Saint John for a private meeting with the Irvings to discuss the refinery project". So who's really dissing New Brunswickers: Torontonians or John Baird?