Why, when so many people oppose the Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline project, would government and industry resort to such extreme measures to push it through? asked David Suzuki Oct. 23 in a commentary in Vancouver’s . Gus Van Harten, an international investment law professor at 91ɫ’s Osgoode Hall Law School, told Desmog Blog we must consider the possibility that government and industry know that changes in attitudes about fossil fuel extraction “may lead to new regulations on the oil patch, in that, climate can’t just be wished away forever, and that governments might take steps to regulate the oil patch in ways that investors wouldn’t like.” He continues, “If you bring in a lot of Chinese investments, and you sign the Canada investment deal, you kind of get the Chinese investors to do your dirty work for you.”
Critics are questioning the progress, independence, and funding model of Alberta’s new environmental monitoring agency announced last week by the provincial government, reported Oct. 24. The new Canadian Environmental Assessment Act was intended to cut red tape and facilitate investment in Canada’s natural resources by limiting the public’s role in environmental assessment hearings. “Censoring participation contradicts the principles of holding a public hearing,” says Anna Zalik of 91ɫ. “There are already many obstacles to participation in these processes—time and resources are required.”
Sault Ste. Marie MPP David Orazietti has been publicly silent since a report revealed he is pondering a run to replace Dalton McGuinty as leader of the province's Liberals, reported Oct. 24. It is fairly unusual for a backbencher like Orazietti to be successful in a leadership bid such as this, though it is not uncommon for lesser known candidates to run for their own reasons, said Robert Drummond, a professor of political science at 91ɫ.
Online rants could hurt my future career, wrote Yuni Kim, former news editor of 91ɫ’s student newspaper Excalibur in Oct. 23. As a potential future teacher, my friend said I would be held to an even higher standard. I spoke to Hiren Mistry, one of my course directors at 91ɫ, to hear what he had to say. “Any young teacher who chooses to proceed with an active online life needs to think carefully about what is expected of them,” he said.