On April 25^th the witnesses were Arne Mooers, Biology Professor from Simon Fraser University; Kim Barrett, Senior Terrestrial Ecologist with Conservation Halton, Doug Chorney, President of Keystone Agricultural Producers; and Darrell Crabbe, Executive Director of the Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation.  Mooers argued for full implementation of SARA, while the agricultural representatives recommended financial incentives to help private landowners care for habitat conservation.

These two meetings had a few takeaways focused more on agriculture and the relationships between private property owners and wildlife.

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“Canada is continually at risk of capitulating to pressure to export our freshwater south of the border.  Trade agreements, including NAFTA, have left us susceptible to a loss of control over our water. The current Federal Water Policy that emphatically opposes large-scale exports (bulk exports) of our freshwater must be maintained,” said May. “That is why I urge Members of Parliament to support Bill 267, the Private Members Bill from Francis Scarpellegia, to ban inter-basin transfers.”

Bill C-267 calls for a pan-Canadian prohibition against inter-basin transfers, banning water removals across natural basin boundaries and protecting Canada against the possibility of a NAFTA challenge.  In the 2008 Speech from the Throne, the Harper government promised to introduce similar legislation that would prohibit inter-basin transfers within Canada but they have since reneged on that promise and refuse to support Mr. Scarpellegia’s bill.

To protect our freshwater ecosystems and their ecological services (e.g. as habitats for fish and freshwater species, as domestic water supplies for energy-generation and recreation, as sources of water for irrigation and other economic uses), the federal government has to use its powers, including the Fisheries Act, and its role in inter-jurisdictional water sharing. This is especially important when considering the changes in quality and quantity of Canada’s freshwater that will occur due to climate change. The Great Lakes’ levels will fall, resulting in higher concentrations of toxic chemicals and other pollutants; B.C. rivers will become over-heated, preventing salmon spawning; and farmers will face increasing drought. The Athabasca River is already experiencing significant declines in flow and water quality due to climatic impacts and tar sand developments.

“Watershed protection should be a priority of the federal government,” said May. “We must guard against efforts to weaken environmental legislation as sustainable management of our rivers is crucial.”

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Scientists have been increasingly concerned over toxic chemicals seeping into the Athabasca River.  Studies have found high levels of arsenic, mercury and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon in the watershed surrounding the tar sands.  Downstream, the community of Fort Chipewyan has been suffering a 30% higher rate of cancer.  This increase in cancer has been linked to the pollution finding its way into the river from tailings ponds upstream.  Every barrel of oil produced requires up to six barrels of water, a lot of which ends up as wastewater in tailings ponds.  These ponds are some of the largest manmade structures on the face of the planet. 

The new monitoring plan will involve an increase in the number of monitoring sites and the types of chemicals scrutinized.  Expected to cost around $50 million, the plan will be paid for by the industry.

“It is entirely appropriate that industry pay for the monitoring and clean-up of their operations,” said May.  “Having independent scientists involved is very important as the placement of monitoring sites and the chemicals detected will determine if the results are useful.  If the industry continues to insist that nothing is wrong and nothing changes, all we will know is that the monitoring system has failed yet again.”

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Yesterday, US President Obama denied the construction permit for the 1,700-mile Keystone pipeline, which was heavily opposed due to potential risks of contamination along its route. “We now have an opportunity to rethink our ad hoc energy policy.  Lacking any explicit policy, the implicit policy appears to be to expand the tar sands as fast as possible while shipping out unprocessed bitumen crude for value added-elsewhere,” said May.

“While the Harper government tries to portray the issue of pipelines as the environment versus the economy, the reality is that these pipelines do not make economic sense.  There is more potential for jobs if we keep and refine the existing bitumen in Canada.  It is critical to freeze any new growth of the oil sands allowing value-added processing.  The reason oil companies don’t build refineries near the tar sands now has been described by former Alberta Premier Peter Lougheed as due to ‘the traffic jam.’ Due to the hyper-inflationary situation created by unconstrained growth in the Athabasca region, labour and capital are in short supply and very expensive for other installations.” said May. “We need to begin the shift away from fossil fuels. Slowing the tar sands, shutting down coal-generated electricity, and diversifying our energy resources by expanding geo-thermal, solar, wind, tidal and small scale hydro, as well as investing in intensive energy efficiency improvements will create more jobs across Canada than the pipeline proposals, while giving us greater energy security and reduced greenhouse gases.” 

The Green Party is advocating increased environmental responsibility of oil sands developers and placing a moratorium on further oil sands development (i.e. increases in annual production).  Slowing the over-heated economy will allow refineries to be built in Alberta.  The major energy union operating in the Athabasca region, the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union, has estimated that the Keystone Pipeline represents the export of more than 40,000 Canadian jobs. “Canadian jobs in upgrading and refining will literally go down the pipe to the U.S. with the 900,000 barrels of unrefined bitumen,” said Dave Coles, CEP President. “Meanwhile, Canadian refineries are closing.”

The proposed Keystone Pipeline would have run to the US Gulf Coast to refineries there.  “We have a chance here to focus on building a secure energy economy.  Fifty-five per cent of the oil used in Canada comes from Venezuela, Nigeria and other OPEC nations. From parts of Ontario east, Canadians have no access to the oil our Prime Minister is so keen to pump south to create jobs in Texas.  What’s wrong with this picture?” asked Elizabeth May.

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