It’s Time To Get Real About The Risks Of Dirty Energy
Tomorrow This Monday is the day that the largest tar sands protest in Canadian history is to take place, in Victoria, British Columbia, to defend our coast from the dangers of Enbridge’s Northern Gateway Pipeline. I wish I could be there but I can’t. In honour of all those taking the time to stand up for the Great Bear Rainforest, and future generations, here’s a video that went viral after it was posted by film maker Dave Shortt a month ago. To see the original Enbridge animation, click here: youtube.com/watch?v=yiVfYb8lt5o
This is a response to oil giant Enbridge, and their animation of the proposed Northern Gateway Pipeline in which they deleted all the islands in the Douglas Channel in British Columbia Canada.
More links:
Dogwood Initiative: No Tankers Petition
The Man Behind The Viral Video: This Is Not An Enbridge Animation
Largest Oilsands Protest In Canadian History: Fort McMurray Today
350 or bust 
Gave up on the vimeo – for some reason that format never seems to work without stuttering, for me. Found the equivalent on youtube:
Thanks P! Sometimes vimeo gives me a hard time, too.
Excerpts from a press release by Elizabeth May:
“In Bill C-38, Stephen Harper gutted environmental laws brought in by Brian Mulroney. Now he has gone after environmental laws brought in by Sir John A. Macdonald.
Bill C-45, a second Act to Implement certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on March 29, 2012 and other measures, the Conservatives’ latest omnibus bill, has weakened Canadians’ historic right to navigate the lakes, rivers, and streams of Canada without being impeded by pipelines, bridges, power lines, dams, mining and forestry equipment, and more.
The Navigable Waters Protection Act (NWPA) of 1882, considered Canada’s first environmental law, has been changed – to the Navigation Protection Act. If a body of water is not mentioned in Schedule 2 on page 424, it will no longer be covered under the NWPA permit process from the rampant resource development being advocated by the Harper Conservatives….
Under the Harper version, a natural body of water was considered navigable only when the Minister of Transport deemed it so. The Minister of Transport was also given arbitrary power to exempt certain “works” from assessment or oversight – like dams, bridges, booms, and causeways – without public consultation, transparent disclosure, or a review of any kind. The Minister could also set up an arbitrary “class system” for waterways, and exempt them from the Environmental Assessment Act (now greatly weakened too).
With Bill C-38, further changes to the NWPA made pipelines and power lines exempt from the provisions of the Act. Also, the National Energy Board took control over the NWPA whenever a pipeline crossed a navigable water.
“This is a real threat for thousands of our pristine waterways,” said May.”
http://elizabethmaymp.ca/news/publications/press-releases/2012/10/18/bill-c-45-greatly-diminishes-right-to-unimpeded-navigable-waters/
Neither Bear Lake, nor Burns Lake are on the protected list:
“If your favorite lake or river is not mentioned in Bill C-45, you’re out of luck. Chances are, it’s not; only 62 rivers and 93 lakes are on the list.”
http://elizabethmaymp.ca/is-your-lake-safe
Thanks Julie. I truly believe that the approach of the Harper government is to so decimate our social and environmental safety net that we will be pathetically grateful for anything that we can save.