Coastal GasLink connects bad economics with terrible climate policy while trampling on Indigenous rights
by Marc Lee | February 25, 2020
Protests around BC and the rest of the country have put Indigenous issues front and centre in discussions of Canadian politics and energy policy. Approved by the BC government, TransCanada’s Coastal GasLink pipeline would run through Wet’suwet’en territory and the company argues it is in the broader “public interest” because of “substantial benefits to First …
Fracking ban warranted to protect some of British Columbia’s biggest dams, FOI documents reveal
by Corporate Mapping Project | January 9, 2020
(Vancouver) Fracking should be immediately banned close to BC Hydro’s two existing Peace River dams as well as the Site C dam construction project until a full public inquiry determines whether a comprehensive ban is warranted, the BC office of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives says. The CCPA issued the call today after reviewing …
The Well from Hell
by Ben Parfitt | January 9, 2020
Part 2 of a report on how fracking poses risks to BC Hydro’s Peace River Dams Read Part 1 of the report View timeline BC Hydro was so worried that its Peace Canyon dam could be badly damaged if an earthquake was triggered at a nearby natural gas industry disposal well, that it briefly considered …
Peace River Frack-Up
by Ben Parfitt | January 9, 2020
Part 1 of a report on how fracking poses risks to BC Hydro’s Peace River dams Read Part 2 of the report View timeline BC Hydro has known for well over a decade that its Peace Canyon dam is built on weak, unstable rock and that an earthquake triggered by a nearby natural gas industry …
Oil Together Now: Who’s really playing politics in the classroom?
by Erika Shaker and Simon Enoch | December 5, 2019
Alberta Education Minister Adriana LaGrange is very concerned that teachers in classrooms across the province are turning students into anti-oil zealots. Her evidence? Two multiple-choice questions from a grade 10 Social Studies test, reportedly sent by a parent, that appear to cast aspersions on oilsands development (the offending options have been helpfully highlighted). In the first, …
An electrifying announcement leads to more questions than answers
by Ben Parfitt | December 5, 2019
In late August, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau traveled to Vancouver to announce that the federal government had agreed to financially support a new hydroelectric transmission line project in British Columbia’s remote northeast region. In a memorandum of understanding signed with the provincial government, the federal government committed $83.6 million to the project, which will cover …
Oil Industry Influence in Saskatchewan public schools: Report
by Corporate Mapping Project | December 5, 2019
(Regina) With climate and energy issues dominating much of the political debate, the question of how and what students learn about these issues in our public schools has become an increasingly contentious issue. This is especially the case in Western Canada, where recent comments by conservative politicians and pundits like Alberta Education minister Adriana LaGrange …
Crude Lessons: Fossil Fuel Industry Influence on Environmental Education in Saskatchewan
by Simon Enoch and Emily Eaton | December 5, 2019
With climate and energy issues dominating much of the political debate, the question of how and what students learn about these issues in our public schools has become an increasingly contentious issue. This is especially the case in Western Canada, where recent comments by conservative politicians and pundits like Alberta Education minister Adriana LaGrange and …
Alberta’s Coal Phase-Out: A Just Transition?
by Emma Jackson & Ian Hussey | November 20, 2019
This report evaluates Alberta’s accelerated phase-out of coal-fired electricity against principles and lessons gleaned from the just transition literature. In November 2015, Alberta Premier Rachel Notley’s NDP government announced its Climate Leadership Plan, which aimed to accelerate the transition away from coal power toward natural gas and renewable electricity generation. The plan also included a …
Alberta coal phase-out offers important blueprint for global shift from fossil fuels
by Corporate Mapping Project | November 20, 2019
(Edmonton) A new report released today by the University of Alberta’s Parkland Institute argues that Alberta’s approach to handling the accelerated phase-out of the province’s coal-fired electricity generation offers an important case study as jurisdictions around the world grapple with ways to ensure a “just transition” to a low-carbon economy. Alberta’s Coal Phase-Out: A Just …
Fossil Futures: The Canada Pension Plan’s Failure to Respect the 1.5-Degree Celsius Limit
by James Rowe, Steph Glanzmann, Jessica Dempsey and Zoë Yunker | November 19, 2019
The Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) manages one of the country’s largest pools of investment capital at over $400 billion. How pension funds choose to invest has significant bearing on how we collectively address the climate emergency and the needed energy transition away from fossil fuels. This report asks if the CPPIB is investing …
Canada Pension Plan’s ongoing investments in fossil fuels: a moral and ecological failure and financial risk
by Corporate Mapping Project | November 19, 2019
(Vancouver) How pension funds choose to invest has significant bearing on how we collectively address the climate emergency and the needed transition from fossil fuels, says a report released today by the Corporate Mapping Project and the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, BC Office. By not taking necessary action, the Canada Pension Plan—one of Canada’s largest …