Video - Stop the Energy East Pipeline

TransCanada is moving forward with the Energy East pipeline, one of the largest pipeline projects ever conceived. In addition to causing massive amounts of greenhouse gases, the plan imperils Canadian waterways. Find out more by clicking the links below.

Environmental Leaders Comment on the Energy East Pipeline

Environmental organizations in Canada and the United States, First Nations and community organizers are resolute in their opposition to TransCanada's Energy East pipeline. Here are some of the comments made by their leaders.

Cities In Ontario and Quebec Opposing Energy East

 Municipalities situated near the proposed corridor are opposing the Energy East Pipeline. Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his minions at the National Energy Board (NEB) have been doing everything they can to fast track tar sands development. This includes preventing communities from contributing to the review.

The only exception is the Northern Ontario town of Mattawa which signed what amounts to a gag order in 2012. TransCanada Corp, the builders of the Energy East pipeline, gave the town of Mattawa a $30,000 rescue vehicle on the condition that they take a vow of silence.

One of the clauses in the agreement reads as follows:

Environmental Action Opposing the Energy East Pipeline

People from across the continent were already actively engaged in protest even before the application for the Energy East pipeline was submitted by TransCanada on October 30th. According to the National Energy Board's (NEB) rules there will be a 15 month period for review.

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper has excluded climate science and communities from contributing to the pipeline review process in an effort to fast track tar sands development. However, this has only emboldened opposition to the pipeline. When the NEB announced that it will not consider the climate impacts or community voices in its assessment more than 50,000 people sent letters of protest.

The Energy East Pipedream

If it is built the Energy East pipeline would be the largest fossil fuel pipeline in North America. This monster pipeline would snake 4,000 km from terminals at Hardisty, Alta. and Moosomin, Sask. to refineries in Montreal, the Quebec City region and Saint John, N.B. In addition to posing local risks to drinking water, ecosystems and toursim Energy East would spur further tar sands development and lead to a major increase in greenhouse gas emissions.

Halloween Campaign Opposing the Energy East Pipeline

The Energy East pipeline is a climate nightmare. A Halloween campaign from 350.org is protesting the pipeline project. As they explain, "climate change is scary -- and so is the largest tar sands pipeline ever proposed. What's even scarier is that this monster of a tar sands pipeline, TransCanada's Energy East project, wont receive a climate review."

If it is allowed to go forward, it will have a climate impact equivalent to over 7 million cars. That is why 350.org is shining a light on the Energy East climate nightmare this Halloween.

This Halloween, 350.org is encouraging people to carve "#NoEnergyEast Jack-O-Lanterns." They suggest that people deliver these pumpkins to their local elected offical's office or home.

Quebecers Protest Energy East Pipeline and Terminal

On October 11, People came together to protest against TransCanada's proposed Energy East pipeline and the international oil port that they want to build in Cacouna, near Rivière-du-Loup, Quebec. This was the largest protest ever staged in Cacouna. There were more than 2000 people present for the protest which is more than the entire population of the small village.

Canada's Provincial and Territorial Governments Draft Principles for a Clean Energy Strategy

Canada's provincial and territorial governments have come together and agreed on an energy strategy grounded in clean energy and climate action. At the conclusion of the Council of the Federation meeting in Prince Edward Island on Friday August 29th they released an updated set of principles intended to guide their work on a Canadian energy strategy.

This agreement cites a number of climate friendly initiatives including carbon pricing. The measures were agreed upon by all the provincial and territorial governments including the newly-elected majority governments in Quebec and Ontario.

The principles will serve as the foundation of a strategy that emphasizes cutting carbon pollution and growing Canada’s clean-energy economy.

Canada's Ruling Conservatives Suppress Arctic Ice Loss Research

The ruling Conservative party of Canada under the leadership of Prime Minister Stephen Harper are well known for silencing scientists, cutting funding for environmental research, and gutting environmental oversight. However, their latest attempt to suppress government research on the rapid loss of sea ice in the Arctic has plunged them to a new low.

Conservative ministers are now prohibiting Canadian Ice Services (CIS) from disclosing their research findings. CIS scientists have been denied the right to hold a "strictly factual" press briefing on the catastrophic loss of northern ice. Under the Harper governments new rules CIS and other government researchers must secure nine levels of government approval. The latest attempt to share information paid for by the Canadian taxpayer has been vetoed at the sixth ministerial level.

Canadian Conservatives Undermine Democracy and Environmental Protections

Canada, once a laudable example of an open democracy is rapidly deteriorating under Harper's Conservatives. There is a long list of anti-democratic actions taken by Canada's ruling Conservatives.  One of those is Bill C-38 which weakened federal environmental laws and made it far more difficult for the public and scientists to weigh in on new projects.

Out of 95 countries surveyed by the Centre for Law and Democracy, Canada ranked 56th, which is one place ahead of Rwanda and behind Colombia, Mongolia and Russia.

When it comes to access to information laws, Canada is behind every country in the world, with the exception of Tajikistan, Australia, Iceland, China and Greece. When it comes to how often information is withheld Canada is the 16th-worst in the world, which is only slightly better than Israel, Pakistan, Portugal and Guyana.

© 2014, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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Canada's Conservatives Downgrade Humpback Protection to Move Forward with the Northern Gateway Pipeline

Canada's ruling Conservatives have bent every rule so that they can move forward with tar sands expansion. One of the most egregious and cynical moves involves the downgrading of the protections afforded the North Pacific humpback whales. They are doing this to make it easier to proceed with the $7.9 billion Northern Gateway pipeline project which would ferry tar sands bitumen to transpacific oil tankers off of Canada's ecologically sensitive West Coast.

If it goes forward, the pipeline will transport crude oil from Alberta to Kitimat in British Columbia where hundreds of oil tankers will transport the bitumen overseas.

Good News for the Environment on Canada Day

The Canadian federal government led by Harper's Conservatives may be notorious for their utter contempt for the environment and unflinching support for fossil fuels, but Canadian provinces and municipalities are putting forth initiatives to meet the challenge of climate change and environmental degradation.

In addition to carbon pricing schemes in some provinces, municipal governments are leading regional efforts to combat climate change in the country. Hundreds of communities across our country are coming together to oppose Harper and protect the people and places that make Canada one of the world's great nations.

Historic Canadian Supreme Court Ruling Dis-Empowers Fossil Fuel Industry

On Thursday June 26th, 2014, the Supreme Court of Canada rendered a ground-breaking decision that recognizes the land claim of a B.C. First Nation. This ruling has national implications and will most certainly impede the rush to exploit fossil fuels and extractive industries in general.

The unanimous ruling granted B.C.'s Tsilhqot’in First Nation title to a 1,700-square-kilometre area of traditional land outside its reserve. However, the decision also sets a game-changing precedent. Going forward, logging, fossil fuel extraction and mining operations on or near aboriginal lands must have the consent from affected aboriginal groups. This has a direct bearing on projects like the Northern Gateway pipeline which crosses four territories with aboriginal claims.

A Not So Happy Canada Day for the Environment

Under Harper's Conservatives, Canada has amassed a lamentable rap sheet of environmental abuses. In addition to failing to meet its GHG reduction commitments the ruling Canadian government has gutted environmental oversight, expanded dirty energy exploitation, killed environmental dissent, silenced climate scientists, withdrawn from the Kyoto protocol and from UN efforts to combat desertification. The Conservatives have even used Canada's intelligence services to spy on peaceful environmental groups.

A Washington-based group, the Center for Global Development, ranked Canada 27th on the environment out of the world's wealthiest 27 countries. Even China the world's largest carbon emitter is improving while Canada continues its downward spiral.

A 2013 national Environics Institute telephone poll in partnership with the David Suzuki Foundation found that public confidence in government as the lead actor in addressing climate change has declined from the 59 percent in 2012 to 53 percent in 2013.

Canadian Government Approves Northern Gateway Pipeline Despite Widespread Opposition

The contentious regulatory process for Enbridge's Northern Gateway Pipeline project, which began in May 2010, was finally approved by the government of Canada on Tuesday June 17th. The National Energy Board (NEB) has given the green light to the $7 billion pipeline project that would ferry tar sands bitumen from Bruderheim, Alta., to Kitimat, B.C.

The project is subject to 209 conditions recommended by the Joint Review Panel in In December 2013. However, the panel's independence is questionable given that they approved the project even though 1,159 people spoke against the pipeline at community hearings while only two spoke for it.

Video - Senator Markey Calls out Republican Climate Deniers for their Fossil Fuel Advocacy and their Obstructionism on Climate Change

The Democratic Senator for Massachusetts Ed Markey laments the collapse of the Shaheen-Portman energy efficiency bill. Had Republicans not opposed it, it would have cut carbon pollution and created jobs. He explains that the bill collapsed because Republicans tied the vote on Shaheen-Portman to three measures designed to support the fossil fuel industry:

Video - Former Mexican President Blames Republicans for their resistance to Combating Climate Change

According to former President of Mexico Felipe Calderón, the GOP is a major impediment in the fight against climate change. Speaking at the Harvard Business school in April, Calderón said that Republicans in Congress are like Chinese coal plants in that they are both adversaries in the fight against climate change. He called Republicans, "The most serious problem is in the United States Congress." "If you are a Republican, it's like a formal requirement to be a nonbeliever in climate change. And that's bad," Calderón said.

Green Innovation and the Economic Importance of Fossil Fuels in Canada

Fossil fuels are the cornerstone of the Canadian economy and many companies are developing technological processes to help minimize their environmental impacts. Fossil fuels and the tar sands in particular are powerful economic drivers of the Canadian economy. The tar sands generate $91 billion for the Canadian economy. Oil and refined petroleum products are responsible for 25 percent of Canadian exports. The oil sands have seen substantial growth in the last couple of decades and they have provided a corresponding number of jobs. As reported in the Financial Post, a February 2014, IHS CERA study, showed that in 2012, oil sands generated almost a half a million jobs in Canada (478,000) Canadian jobs or 3 percent of all jobs in the country and

We are seeing "green" innovation in the Canadian fossil fuel industry including investments in carbon capture and storage. This type of innovation could reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 20 percent or more, tailings could be reduced by 80 percent and river water could be diminished by 25 percent.

Event - Energy East: Our RISK Their REWARD

This event is focused on the reasons why the Energy East pipeline is not in the interest of people in Ontario. It will take place on Tue Apr 15, 2014, at 7 pm at the North Grenville Municipal Centre in Kemptville, Ontario. This is one of several events from the Council of Canadians and Sustainable North. From April 7-16, they will be visiting communities across Ontario to talk about why TransCanada’s proposed Energy East pipeline is all risk and little reward.

TransCanada’s Energy East project would be the largest oil pipeline in North America. It would ship 1.1 million barrels of oil every day through Ontario towards Saint John, New Brunswick. Join us to find out why this massive tar sands pipeline puts our water, land and air at risk.

Video - Nature is Canadians' Identity Lets Protect it by Law

Canadians love the plethora of natural beauty that surrounds them but Canada is at the bottom of the OECD list on environmental performance. Canada is one of the last pristine wild places on earth. The nation is home to 20 percent of the world's fresh water and 20 percent of the world's natural forests but our environmental protections have been systematically eroded by Harper's Conservatives.