Monthly Archives: May 2010

Polar bear population in Canada could fall by 30 per cent in a year

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Lesley Ciarula TaylorThe Star.com A mathematical analysis for the first time has uncovered the prospect of a sudden, dramatic decline among Canadian polar bears as they starve to death. “This is much, much different. This is not a gradual change,” said Dr. Andrew Derocher, one of the world’s leading polar bear authorities and co-author of the study. “We’re looking at a decrease by 20 or 30 ... [click title to continue]

NUPGE asks PM for Arctic drilling moratorium

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'At a minimum, we ask that no exemptions from regulations be awarded to BP or any oil and gas company.' - James Clancy.' The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) is calling for a moratorium on Arctic drilling and for stronger oil and gas regulations in the wake of the devastating British Petroleum (BP) oil well leak in the Gulf of Mexico. In a letter to Prime Minister Stephen Harper, ... [click title to continue]

Oil spill in Arctic waters could have "catastrophic" impact

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By Andrew MayedaCanwest News Service A worker contracted by British Petroleum scrapes oil from a beach after it was inundated by the oil spill from the Deepwater Horizon spill in Port Fourchon, Louisiana May 23. William Adams, a former scientist at Environment Canada, was one of the researchers in a joint government-industry study of the impact of an oil spill in the Canadian portion of the Beaufort ... [click title to continue]

CoC warns of loopholes in new federal water legislation

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The Council of Canadians is concerned with the newly introduced Bill C-26, An Act to amend the International Boundary Waters Treaty Act and the International River Improvements Act. “The Council of Canadians doesn’t see Bill C-26 as a ban on bulk water exports and while the federal government claims it will strengthen the IBWTA, the Act actually weakens certain important elements,” says Council ... [click title to continue]

Boreal Forest Conflicts Far From Over

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Mainstream enviros, timber industry shut First Nations out of "historic" deal By Dawn PaleyVancouver Media Co-op Timber companies and environmental organizations came together Tuesday to announce the Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement, which they say could protect a swath of boreal forest twice the size of Germany, and maintain forestry jobs across the country."This is an agreement between the two principle ... [click title to continue]

Indigenous knowledge vital to understanding climate change

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By Anne MinardNatGeo Newswatch Global warming is a simple enough concept. But it doesn't explain all the changes the Inuit have noticed. The Inuit, a group of indigenous people inhabiting a huge band of territory in northern Alaska and Canada and coastal Greenland, are confused by spring these days.The top layer of snow no longer freezes hard at night in June, which makes nighttime sled runs more ... [click title to continue]

Oil Sands Riskier than Gulf Spill, Say Investor Groups

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By Matthew O. BergerIPSAs the oil leaking into the Gulf of Mexico destroys habitat and livelihoods, the extraction of oil from Canadian oil sands deposits is having a similar impact on fragile ecosystems and communities deep in the North American interior.The dramatic impact of oil sands expansion should give the companies involved and their investors pause, cautions a new report commissioned by Ceres, ... [click title to continue]

Walkerton’s lessons poorly learned

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A national water update revealing the emerging two tier system of safe drinking water access that is emerging in Canada ten years after Walkerton. EcoJustice Ten years after Walkerton, Canadians remain at risk of waterborne disease outbreaks as a growing divide emerges between those who have access to safe drinking water and those that do not. Ecojustice and Forum for Leadership on Water (FLOW) ... [click title to continue]

Scientists to spill oil in Arctic to test clean-up

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Canadian Press Inuit leaders are concerned over federal plans to dump crude oil into northern waters next to a proposed marine conservation area so scientists can test new ways of cleaning up Arctic oil spills. "We don't want this project," said John Amagoalik, manager of lands for the Qikiqtani Inuit Association. The Department of Fisheries and Oceans has asked a northern regulatory board to approve ... [click title to continue]