Few Canadians know that Canada is home to one of the world's largest dams and it is built to hold toxic waste from just one tar sands operation in northern Alberta. Everything about the tar sands happens on a massive scale. The enormous toxics problems go hand-in-hand with massive global warming pollution and the impending destruction of a boreal forest the size of Florida. Because of sheer scale, all Canadians are impacted by the tar sands, no matter where they live. This is Canada's problem. Read on.

Canada's Tar Sands - What the government doesn't want you to know

Wilderness Committee Educational Report Vol.27 - No.04, Spring 2008

Tar Sands protest and processing plant Citizens protest at the 2008 First Minister's meeting; Syncrude processing facility and upgrader-1 (David Dodge, The Pembina Institute)

Take action

Environmental Defence, ForestEthics and the Wilderness Committee are calling on the Canadian government to:

Tar Sands Fast Facts

  • create and enforce clean air, clean water, and forest protection regulations;
  • create new protected areas in the region;
  • enforce hard caps on tar sands emissions and not 'intensity' targets that will allow overall emissions to continue to rise;
  • respect Aboriginal rights and title in the region.

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    Take a moment to think about the tar sands development and their impacts across the country, then write to Canada's Prime Minister to let him know how you feel!

    Contact the Prime Minister of Canada
    The Honourable Stephen Harper
    313-S Centre Block, Ottawa ON K1A OA6
    pm@pm.gc.ca | 1 800 622-6232