LETTER

Assisting Big Oil? 

I guess that’s why the Pembina Institute calls it “responsible oilsands development.”

Alberta’s “ethical” oilsands industry is responsible for:

• Rising greenhouse gas emissions and mounting climate change impacts

• Endangering health of indigenous communities

• Destruction of wildlife (not just birds) in toxic tailings ponds

• Extirpation of caribou

• Shooting and poisoning of 6000 wolves

• Destruction of wetlands and forest

• Displacement and loss of wildlife

• Contamination of the watershed

• Deformed fish with tumours and lesions

• Rare cancers in communities downstream 

• Proposed export to Asia, increasing tanker traffic, risk of maritime disasters, and threat to marine species

• Acid rain

• Petcoke exports to developing nations —a cheap, lethal substitute for coal

• Obstructing climate action and rolling back environmental regulations

And now we can add COVID-19 outbreaks!  Brought to us by our friends, Esso and companies. 

Geoffrey Pounder, 

(Cyberspace)