Transport Minister Garneau says Ottawa’s ‘interested’ in potential benefits from West Coast high-speed rail proposal
Transport Minister Marc Garneau says he expects a report from a government-struck task force on school bus safety to be available before he meets with provincial and territorial transport ministers in the spring. In an email Q&A interview with The Hill Times for today’s transportation policy briefing, Mr. Garneau (Notre-Dame-de-Grâce-Westmount, Que.) said the task force—bringing together […]
Canadian icebreaking capabilities not up to snuff, experts say
The town of L’Anse-au-Loup, N.L., sits on north shore of the Strait of Belle Isle, just over 20 km east of the lower north shore of Quebec. The 600-person community relies on a ferry service to provide them with everything from groceries to propane. “All our grocery stores rely on it for their produce and […]
Driving the move towards zero-emission vehicles
The science is clear: climate change is happening. We have a great opportunity to take ambitious action. Now is the time to do the heavy-lifting to ensure a safer, healthier, and more prosperous future for all. Canadians understand this, and are looking to all levels of government to help make it easier for them to […]
Up to provinces to find ways to meet zero-emission vehicle sale targets, feds say
The federal government will leave it up to the provinces to figure out how to meet its proposed targets for zero-emission vehicle sales, likely closing the window of possibility for a national sales mandate or rebate program. But close observers believe that the March 19 pre-election budget can provide funds to improve the country’s electric vehicle […]
Truck rally comes to Ottawa, bringing complaints on pipelines, immigration
After a nearly five-day trek across Canada, which began in Red Deer, Alta., a convoy of semi-trucks and pickups made its way to Parliament Hill to protest the Trudeau government’s performance on the energy and climate files on Feb. 19. The protesters aired their grievances with delays in pipeline construction to transport Alberta oil to […]
Trans Mountain: choose your crisis wisely
The main argument against expanding fossil fuel use is catastrophic global warming. If you accept that, then economic and employment counterarguments had better be solid. Many assumptions used to justify the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion were developed years ago. They’re used in industry and government marketing campaigns to tell a story of how environmentalists and […]
Court challenges of Trans Mountain redo expected, ahead of NEB’s final report
The National Energy Board will complete its reconsideration of the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project this week, but critics say the redo has been a narrow and rushed rubber-stamp, destined to fuel further court challenges. “I would be very surprised if the groups that have participated and the individuals who participated in this process will […]
Canada bought more than a pipeline when it bought the Trans Mountain project
When the federal government bought the Trans Mountain pipeline project for $4.4-billion, it was not looking for a good deal on the underlying assets. It was looking to ensure that a federally approved project with huge implications for Canada’s economy got built. Purchasing the project was a final—albeit imperfect—option. For this reason, questions emerging from […]
Microgrids eyed as new way to deliver macro impact
On Aug. 14, 2003, the lights went out across much of Ontario and several northeastern states. The Milky Way, normally only visible in more remote communities, could be seen from downtown Toronto, as light pollution was no longer obscuring the solar system. Some 10 million Ontarians were affected, while nearly 50 million Americans were left […]
Public-private partnerships an ‘extraordinary opportunity’ to renew relations with Indigenous communities: experts
The emergence of green energy provides a “once in a generation” opportunity for Canada to improve its approach to engaging with Indigenous communities about major energy projects, a House committee heard as it began a study on an issue that has dogged the Liberal government for its entire mandate. Greg Poelzer, a professor in the University of […]
