This report examines the history of Alberta energy policies as they apply to development of the oil sands, focusing on the contrasting oil sands policies of premiers Lougheed and Klein, two of Alberta’s most popular premiers and key to oil sands development in the province. The petroleum industry has long had a strong influence on …

This report examines the argument that building pipelines to ‘tidewater’ will unlock new markets where Canadian oil can command a better price than in the US, where the majority of Canadian oil is currently exported, using Kinder Morgans Trans Mountain Extension Project as an example. The research found that problematic assumptions led to the pipeline’s approval by the …

I submitted the following to the National Energy Board, which is seeking comments on what should be included as part of the upcoming hearings on the proposed Energy East Pipeline. In particular, they are interested in arguments about the inclusion of greenhouse gas emissions. The deadline for submissions is May 31 if you are inclined …

With the provincial election behind us, there’s at least one thing that the overwhelming majority of British Columbians seem to clearly agree on: we need big money out of our politics. The corrupting influence of vast sums of cash from (primarily) corporations and the wealthy in BC’s political system has received a great deal of …

In 2006 Statistics Canada drew attention to a troubling relationship between women’s equality in Alberta and the growth of extractive industries in the province. The report noted that while women in Eastern Canada were reaping the rewards of increasing education levels, greater access to affordable childcare, lower birth rates, and greater income equality, all these …

A subsidiary of Petronas, the Malaysian state-owned petro giant courted by the BC government, has built at least 16 unauthorized dams in northern BC to trap hundreds of millions of gallons of water used in its controversial fracking operations. The 16 dams are among “dozens” that have been built by Petronas and other companies without …

Last month, Shell and ConocoPhillips became the latest global oil giants to pull back from the Alberta oil sands. On March 9, Royal Dutch Shell (Shell Canada’s parent company) sold most of its Alberta assets to Canadian Natural Resources Limited (CNRL), Canada’s largest hydrocarbon corporation by volume of production. On March 29, US-based ConocoPhillips sold …

Disclaimer: This is my personal letter as a member of Bigstone Cree Nation on current events regarding the environmental, social, and economic impacts of resource extraction. I have shared a copy of this letter with my Chief and Council as a concerned member. There is something happening underneath our feet. It will stop the rivers …

The problem of corporate influence in politics and government is heating up in BC as we head towards the May election. 2017 kicked off with an explosive story in the New York Times, aptly titled “British Columbia: The Wild West of Canadian Political Cash.” The story drew widespread attention to the complete absence of limits …

This study examines the political reach of the fossil fuel industry in British Columbia, as evidenced by donations to political parties and lobbying efforts by oil, gas and coal corporations and industry groups. It finds a remarkable and disturbingly close relationship between industry and the provincial government – one that not only contradicts the province’s stated aim …

This study re-examines Canada’s contribution to global climate change in light of the Paris Agreement by looking at extracted carbon—the total amount of fossil fuels removed from Canadian soil that ends up in the atmosphere—whether used for domestic purposes or exported and combusted elsewhere. According to the study, Canada’s extracted carbon has risen dramatically, almost …

What does the spruce budworm have to do with the oil industry? Let’s start with the budworm. Last year, I completed a year-long investigation in Quebec’s forestry industry, as a visiting journalist at Concordia University in Montreal. My seven journalism students and I reported on what happened after a cyclical budworm infestation hit the forests …