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

Citations

Front Page
1. "The Climate Implications of Canada's Oil Sands Development," the Pembina Institute, November 29, 2005
2. http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2007/01/17/oil-sands.html

Centre Pages
3. "Pipeline to B.C. back on track," Gordon Jaremko, The Edmonton Journal, December 29 2007
4. The Pembina Institute estimates 2007 emissions to be between 39.3 and 41.4 million tonnes for 2007. See: letter to Ms. Rachel Doctors, Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, June 15, 2007.
5. "The Climate Implications of Canada's Oil Sands Development," the Pembina Institute, November 29, 2005, p.5.
6. "Oil Sands Fever," by the Pembina Institute, November 2005, p. 15.
7. The Canadian National Energy Board predicts a decline in Canadian gas production under all price scenarios. See: "Short-term Canadian Natural Gas Deliverability 2007-2009," October, 2007.
8. "Air Sampling in North-Central Alberta," Prof. Donald Blake, University of California – Irvine, April 14, 2007.
9. See for example: Scotford Upgrader Expansion Application (April 2005) Volume 2, Section 24, pages 41 and 43; BA Energy Upgrader Application Volume 2 (May 2004) Section 6l page 6-32; NorthWest Upgrader Application; CanTox Environmental Project No 88060 (Jan 23, 2006) Table 10, page 57 – 58 and Table 11, pages 71 of 198.
10. See: http://www.sia.ab.ca/cms/CAER/SafetyTips/tabid/922/Default.aspx
11. Ray Ladouceur quoted in Timoney, K, 2007. A Study of Water and Sediment Quality as related to Public Health Issues Fort Chipewyan, Alberta
12. Timoney, 2007
13. Based on NPRI data – see for example www.pollutionwatch.org
14. 2004 Canadian Acid Deposition Science Assessment, Environment Canada, p. 107-8
15. Ibid, p. 3.
16. "Air Pollution Targets for the Oil Sands Sector," Environment Canada, session with NGOs, June 7, 2007, page 27.
17. http://www.trca.on.ca/Website/TRCA/website.nsf/frmNewsArticleDisplay?OpenForm&NoteID=NT0000C3EA
18. "Air Quality in Northern Saskatchewan," Maqsood et al, Saskatchewan Environment, presentation at The Fourth Canadian Workshop on Air Quality, Feb. 14-6, 2008
19. 2004 Canadian Acid Deposition Science Assessment, Summary of Key Results, Government of Canada, p. 2.
20. "Exposing Canada's Chemical Valley," Ecojustice, October 2007, p. 13.
21. "Exposing Canada's Chemical Valley," Ecojustice, October 2007, p. 20.
22. "Pollution debate born of Chemical Valley's girl-baby boom," by Martin Mittelstaedt, the Globe and Mail, November 15, 2005.
23. Canadian Boreal Initiative and Wildlife Conservation Society. CBI/WCS Woodland Caribou Expert Workshop Summary. 2006.
24. Alberta Woodland Caribou Recovery Team, Alberta Woodland Caribou Recovery Plan 2004/05-2013/14. (2005); The Pembina Institute and the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, Death by a Thousand Cuts: Impacts of in situ oil sands development on Alberta's Boreal Forest (2006).
25. Petr Weclaw and Bob J. Hudson, Simulation of conservation and management of woodland caribou. Ecol. Model. 2004, 177:75-94.
26. The Pembina Institute and the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, Death by a Thousand Cuts: Impacts of in situ oil sands development on Alberta's Boreal Forest (2006).
27. Canadian Boreal Initiative. Seeking a Balance: Assessing the Future Impacts of Conservation and Development in the Mackenzie Watershed (2007).

Credits

Writing and Editing:: Matt Price (Environmental Defence); Gillian McEachern (ForestEthics); Andrea Reimer (Wilderness Committee), and Ken Wu (unless where noted)
Mapping: Geoff Senichenko
Design: Gil Aguilar
Photos: As noted in captions or WC files
Web Publishing 2008: Gil Aguilar

Western Canada Wilderness Committee Vol. 27, No 4 Spring 2008. Canadian Mail Product Sales Agreement No. 0900567. Posted in Vancouver for free distribution. Printed in Canada on recycled newsprint with vegetable-based inks. Press Run 60,000 © Wilderness Committee 2008.

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