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- Manitoba Hydro Payments to Next Partner
- Manitoba Earth Day 2005
- Tahltan Protest Against Shell
- Canada's Climate Change Plan - Environmental Response
- Canada Launches Project Green Climate Change Plan
- Help Protect Manitoba's Vanishing Woodland Caribou
- Day of Fossil Fuel Reckoning
- Salmon Fishery Could Fail in 2008
- US Senate Considers Renewable Energy Standards
- Labrador Hydro Project for Ontario
- World Bank Backs Laotian Dam
- Royal Society Scolds US for Climate Change Position
| Manitoba Hydro Payments to Next Partner | 26 April 05 |
 Manitoba Hydro has paid out more than $14 million in expenses for a northern First Nation related to a hydroelectric dam, even though the community has not yet voted on the project, and no environmental proposal has been filed for the project.Four years ago, the Tataskweyak Cree Nation, formerly known as Split Lake, signed an agreement in principle with Manitoba Hydro to jointly build the 640-megawatt Keeyask dam at Gull Rapids on the Nelson River. Manitoba Hydro needs the support of Tataskweyak Cree Nation for the project; community members are expected to vote on it later in 2005. But a 2 year audit obtained by the CBC shows Manitoba Hydro paid more than $14 million over the past two years for consultants and expenses related to preparing the community for Keeyask. Tataskweyak Chief Norm Flett said that's what it costs to hire experts and reimburse band members for going to meetings about the project. "In order for the First Nations to be informed, somebody has to pay," he said. "In this case, the government of Manitoba instructed Hydro to pay." View the April 7, 2005 CBC Manitoba news story View the April 11, 2005 Winnipeg Free Press story View the Apr 11, 2005 Question Period at the Manitoba Legislature Visit the Tataskweyak Cree Nation website Source: CBC Manitoba |
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| Manitoba Earth Day 2005 | 26 April 05 |
 Manitobans celebrated Earth Day on April 22, 2005 in various ways - and it was all in the name of proclaiming their feelings about the importance of a healthy planet and healthy ecosystems.As part of the second annual Earth Day walk, a grassroots gathering of First Nations environmental awareness groups and members of the Green Party converged at the Legislative Building. Bearing banners with slogans such as "Environmental Justice, Not Environmental Racism", they urged the Manitoba government to take environmental protections more seriously. Caroline Bruyere, an Elder from Sagkeeng First Nation, said it's great that governments have signed on to the Kyoto accord, but she's not sure there is real support to protect the environment. An aboriginal water ceremony at The Forks, led by Gary Raven, an Elder from Hollow Water First Nation, closed the event. View the full April 23, 2005 Winnipeg Free Press article (DOC) Source: Winnipeg Free Press |
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| Tahltan Protest Against Shell | 26 April 05 |
 On March 1, 2005, in a scheduled meeting arranged by the Tahltan Central Council, Shell Canada met with the Tahltan Community. The Elders Council conducted the meeting, for the first time in history, with a Tahltan agenda. The Elders Council imposed a moratorium on all resource development on Tahltan lands until a true representative leadership is re-established in Tahltan governance.On March 2nd 2005 the Iskut First Nations Hereditary Elders Council, Chief and band council took the first step to support the hereditary Elders to protect the Tahltan territory from the uncontrolled resource development. Dressed in traditional regalia, a group of Iskut Elders confronted representatives of Shell Canada. Led by Iskut Chief Louis Louie, they told Shell that the Iskut First Nations Band Council would enforce the moratorium adopted by the Telegraph Creek Elders in mid-February. View the full March 3, 2005 press release on Resist.ca by spokespersons of the groups involved in the protest View the March 7, 2005 news article on The Tyee View background on the Tahltan First Nation from Mining Watch Canada View February 14, 2005 Manitoba Wildlands news item regarding the Tahltan Elders protest Sources: Resist.ca, The Tyee, Mining Watch Canada |
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| Canada's Climate Change Plan - Environmental Response | 21 April 05 |
 Canadian environmental groups swiftly reacted to the Government of Canada Climate Change Plan, Moving forward on Climate Change: A Plan for Honouring our Kyoto Commitment.The target to reduce Canada's emissions of greenhouse gases to 6% below the 1990 level during 2008-12 as specified in the Kyoto Protocol requires a reduction of approximately 270-300 megatonnes (Mt) from Canada's projected "business-as-usual" levels. Environmental groups believe the April 2005 plan is inadequate to achieve Canada's Kyoto emission reduction target within the required timeframe. In particular, the groups are criticizing the plan for its lack of detail to explain how emission reduction targets will be met, as well as for failing to state timelines for implementation. The groups also feel that mandatory reductions by industrial Large Final Emitters (LFEs) are too limited, given that LFEs produce approximately 50% of Canada's greenhouse gas pollution. As well, the plan is based on the expectation that at least 74% of the emission reduction targets will be achieved through the actions of Canadians or use of tax dollars, while individuals are responsible for only 23% of Canada's emissions. The environmental groups outlined measures to address the identified gaps in the plan and make the plan credible, and extended an offer to work with "governments, industry and other stakeholders to ensure the plan's success." View the April 13, 2005 press release by 11 major Canadian environmental organizations View the David Suzuki Foundation April 13, 2005 news release View the joint statement on Canada's climate change plan (PDF) View the Sierra Club of Canada April 5, 2005 press release (DOC) View the WWF April 13, 2005 press release Source: Canada NewsWire Group |
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| Canada Launches Project Green Climate Change Plan | 21 April 05 |
| The Government of Canada launched the first phase of Project Green April 13, 2005 by releasing an updated plan for a healthy environment and a competitive economy: Moving forward on Climate Change: A Plan for Honouring our Kyoto Commitment. The Plan includes measures in Budget 2005 which created the Climate Fund and the Partnership Fund, and enhanced renewable energy incentives and the EnerGuide for Houses Program. The Plan sets in place a new regime for Large Final Emitters to achieve emissions reductions from industry; other emissions reductions come from vehicles and increased individual action through an enhanced One-Tonne Challenge Program. The Plan provides for investments in the order of $10 billion between now and 2012 for anticipated emissions reductions of about 270 megatonnes. It also commits the Government of Canada to annual assessments of climate change initiatives and investments. View the April 13, 2005 Government of Canada press release and backgrounder on Project Green's First Phase View the full report on Project Green's First Phase Visit the Government of Canada Climate Change page View the April 4, 2005 Manitoba Wildlands news item View the April 13, 2005 Sierra Club of Canada press release Source: Government of Canada |
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| Help Protect Manitoba's Vanishing Woodland Caribou | 21 April 05 | ||
 The Natural Resources Defense Council BioGems Campaign has launched its most recent citizen action effort in support of the boreal regions of Manitoba, known as the 'Heart of the Boreal'. The latest in a series of letters emphasizes protection for Manitoba's threatened woodland caribou. The Wilderness Committee of Manitoba is also campaigning in support of legal protection under Manitoba's Endangered Species Act for the woodland caribou. Already the NRDC citizen action letter for protection of Manitoba's woodland caribou has generated over 24,000 letters, sent to Manitoba Conservation Minister Stan Struthers.According to scientists, a dwindling caribou population (now numbering roughly 2,000 animals in Manitoba) serves as an alert that the health of other forest wildlife is in jeopardy as well. Industrial activities such as: road building, clearcut logging, mining, hydro dams and transmission lines, commercial tourism, and new town sites have devastated the old-growth boreal forest habitat of the woodland caribou, cutting Manitoba's population of this boreal species in half in the span of just a few decades. The NRDC BioGem Campaign allows visitors to express their views in support of protecting Manitoba's boreal forest regions and send letters of support through the NRDC web site. Past NRDC 'Action Alerts' for the 'Heart of the Boreal' BioGem have generated tens of thousands of letters to the Canadian Government, Manitoba Government, Ontario Government, and Manitoba Hydro. The Manitoba Wilderness Committee website also allows supporters to send a letter to Premier Gary Doer about protecting woodland caribou under provincial law.
Visit The Wilderness Committee of Manitoba web site Source: Natural Resources Defense Council |
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| Day of Fossil Fuel Reckoning | 19 April 05 |
 Within two hours early April 2005, crude oil prices hit a record $56 a barrel, President Bush fretted publicly over world oil shortages and the Senate voted to open an Alaskan wildlife refuge to drilling. The converging events drew attention to what administration officials call a temporary global energy crunch. But bigger worries also are bubbling to the surface - fears of a day of reckoning over world oil reserves.As China and India are joining the grab for oil, most experts agree that world production will peak sometime in the next several decades - more likely in the next couple of years, a gaggle of outspoken academics say. Concerns have been raised that Saudi Arabia may be significantly overstating its ability to ramp up production from 8 million barrels a day to 10 or 12 million. Saudi oil reserves are the largest in the world. Canada exports more crude oil to the US than any other country. View the Sacramento Bee article Source: Sacramento Bee |
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| Salmon Fishery Could Fail in 2008 | 19 April 05 |
 A new report says spawning levels were so low in 2004 that the commercial, recreational and aboriginal sockeye salmon fisheries on British Columbia's Fraser River could be wiped out in 2008.The report released March 22, 2005 by Canada's House of Commons fisheries committee blames a failure by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans to crack down on sockeye poaching in the region and to implement previous recommendations designed to save the stock, as well as unusually warm water temperatures in 2004. The result could be extremely low levels of adult salmon ready for harvesting three years from now and the cancellation of all fisheries for that year. The report makes 12 recommendations, including prohibiting the use of gillnets on parts of the Fraser, as well as increasing the enforcement of fisheries regulations on the lower Fraser. The committee says the fear of confrontation with First Nations groups led in part to the poor enforcement of regulations. The report also cites record high temperatures in the river as a cause for the drop in numbers. View the March 23, 2005 CBC news story View the CBC Backgrounder on Salmon View the March 2005 Report of the Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans Sources: CBC News Online, Government of Canada |
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| US Senate Considers Renewable Energy Standards | 19 April 05 |
 The possibility of including a nationwide renewable energy requirement - known in policy circles as a renewables portfolio standard (RPS), was the subject of a recent US Senate Committee hearing. Such standards, currently in place in 18 states and the District of Columbia, require a certain percentage of electricity in a given jurisdiction to come from renewable energy sources.View a survey of RPS requirements in the 18 states at the Union of Concerned Scientists website (download the presentation below the map) View the Union of Concerned Scientists RPS background information View a survey of RPS requirements in Canada (PDF) View the Renewable Energy Access article Source: Renewable Energy Access |
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| Labrador Hydro Project for Ontario | 13 April 05 |
 The Ontario government has submitted a joint proposal with Hydro-Québec and engineering/construction giant SNC-Lavalin to support Newfoundland in development of a hydroelectric project at the Lower Churchill River in Labrador. The proposed 2,824 megawatt project would be on traditional lands of the Innu people. The proposal is one of 25 responses to a Request for Expressions of Interest and Proposals issued by the Newfoundland and Labrador Government in January. The proposal would see Ontario and Quebec work with Newfoundland to develop the 2,000-megawatt Gull Island site, and an additional 824 megawatts at Muskrat Falls, both on the Lower Churchill River. Ontario would receive 945 megawatts (one third) of the total output of the project. Ontario plans to phase out 7,500 megawatts of coal-fired generation by 2007. As part of the agreement, Hydro-Québec would advance construction of a 1,250-megawatt interconnection with Ontario, to be in service by 2009. Proponents hope construction could begin in late 2006 with power available by 2011. The estimated cost of the project is $9 billion. View the Ontario Government release View the Sierra Club release View the CBC article View the request for proposals - full version or newspaper Ad (PDFs) Source: Ontario Government, CBC |
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| World Bank Backs Laotian Dam | 13 April 05 |
 On March 31, 2005 the World Bank approved the Nam Theun 2 hydroelectric project in Laos despite the environmental and human rights concerns of 153 NGOs. If completed the US$1.3 billion, 1070 MW dam will displace 6,200 indigenous people and impact a reported 100,000 other people in a country already dealing with a dam legacy of social and ecological hardship. The project, already under construction, is slated for completion in 2009.Aviva Imhof, Campaign Director for International Rivers Network (IRN) expressed concern for Laotian peasants who will lose land and fisheries. He says the project "will bring more benefits to the Lao government elite and foreign consultants than Laos' poor." IRN was among 153 NGOs that urged the Bank not to approve Nam Theun 2. Peter Bosshard of IRN expects conflicts between civil society and the Bank-which has a history of financing dubious dam projects-to escalate with the recent appointment of Paul Wolfowitz as Bank President. Bosshard says Wolfowitz "has shown disdain for international law and human rights" and his appointment brings "shame [to] the World Bank and the governments that control it." Manitoba Hydro made a presentation on "Benefit Sharing with Indigenous Peoples" at the World Bank energy conference in Washington D.C. last month. View the IRN release and background View "Legacy of Hydro in Laos" (PDF) View the NGO letter View theIRN release regarding appointment of Wolfowitz View theWorld Bank information on Nam Theun 2 View the World Bank Energy Week 2005 site Sources: IRN, World Bank |
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| Royal Society Scolds US for Climate Change Position | 13 April 05 |
 In a March15, 2005 BBC interview James L. Connaughton, top environmental advisor to President Bush, said greenhouse gases "do not have present effects" but suggested that emissions "will be reduced substantially over time," and that the US is "still working on the issue of [climate change] causation."Royal Society President Lord May, who was the chief scientific advisor to the UK government from 1995 to 2000, said Mr. Connaughton's comments demonstrate "how confused the US Government is on climate change." Citing the 2001 findings of the United States National Academy of Sciences, Lord May said, "the Bush administration appears to be in disagreement with its own scientific advisers." View the Royal Society article View the article from Renewable Energy Access View related BBC articles: 1 and 2 Source: Renewable Energy Access, BBC |
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