Feds in serious danger of betraying environmental assessment reform promises
Unless the Trudeau government takes a sharp turn, fixing Canada’s environmental assessment law will be just one more bold commitment it won’t deliver on. The recent discussion paper outlining the federal government’s plans suggests little more than tinkering with the 2012 devastating re-write of the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act by Stephen Harper’s Conservative government. The […]
Nuclear safety regulator reviewing small modular reactor technology
OTTAWA—To reduce the effect of greenhouse gases and carbon production, nuclear technologies such as small modular reactors (SMRs) are becoming of interest to designers. The intent of the designers is to provide this carbon-free emission technology to remote areas in Canada, where diesel or other fossil fuels are currently being used to generate electricity and […]
Canadian energy’s Johnny Cash moment
OTTAWA—Canada is at a crossroads on energy. Its long-term energy future, economy-wide competitiveness, and capacity to capitalize on the market, environmental, and social opportunities of energy hinge on policy and regulatory reforms taken today. Reforms need to balance and bridge imperatives that are pivotal to energy governance in the 21s century. In the words of […]
Animals transported for slaughter deserve better
OTTAWA—In the sweltering heat of summer, Canadians seek refuge in air-conditioned buildings, indulge in cool treats, and take extra care to stay hydrated. Meanwhile, millions of farm animals are transported across great distances in trucks that offer little to no protection from the elements. The animals are also denied water, food, and rest for up […]
Water is forgotten element in energy strategy
A growing focal point for disputes over major energy projects involves impacts to our precious water sources. Canadians, in particular Indigenous peoples, are taking action on the failure of governments and regulatory agencies to truly consider and address impacts to our rivers, lakes, wetlands, and ground water, and the communities and species that rely on […]
Hope and doubt expressed on B.C. LNG sector following Petronas cancellation
Last month, Malaysian state-owned energy giant Petronas cancelled the Pacific NorthWest liquefied natural gas project, a $36-billion venture along the British Columbia coast that sought to open up the pacific to Canadian LNG exports. The announcement came just seven days after the NDP’s John Horgan was sworn in as B.C. premier, following a long and […]
Federal government fails to see forest for the trees in caribou recovery
OTTAWA—Canada’s leading forest-products companies and the 230,000 people we employ in hundreds of communities across the country are urging the federal government to give serious thought to adjusting the procedures and timing of the Caribou Recovery Strategy to achieve a more balanced and sustainable way forward for all. We believe that the current process could […]
Canada missing out on business, emissions-cutting opportunity of LNG
Canada has a unique opportunity to use our abundant and clean-burning natural gas to offset coal-fired electricity all over the world, but it will only happen if our governments—federal and provincial—recognize that they are having a severe and negative impact on the investment necessary to help Canada realize this potential. If Canadians truly care about […]
Canada-China energy relationship expected to widen as China pours billions into clean-tech sector
In a keynote speech delivered by Natural Resources Minister Jim Carr at the Canadian Embassy in Beijing this June, he proclaimed that Canada is “open for business.” Minister Carr led a delegation to China earlier this summer to promote investment in Canadian natural resources, with a stop at the Sino-Canadian Low-Carbon Eco-District in Tianjin, a […]
Liberals offer mostly platitudes on transition to renewable energy
Under the previous Conservative administration, Canada’s energy strategy was whatever the oilpatch wanted—or more precisely what foreign-owned energy multinationals requested. We had no plan for carbon pricing, and Stephen Harper was content to hitch our economic wagon to fossil fuels. Talk of a National Energy Program was quickly dismissed. With omnibus budget bills C-38 and […]
