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fullpage ad in Variety march 4 2010 at Sierra Club Canada
Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers: Canadian Oil is Responsible Energy "We invite these activists back to planet Earth to discuss the appropriate balance between environmental protection, economic growth and a safe and reliable supply of energy." [if this was an association of human organ harvesters, it would no doubt argue the need for balance between torture of people, making money and a reliable medical supply] said John Bennett, executive director of Sierra Club Canada, one of the groups that backed the ad: "Avatar is about industrialists wanting to take every last resource and use it without regard for the future, or for those who live nearby. That's very synonymous with what's happening with the tar sands."
from Sierra Club
"We used to be able to drink water directly from Beaver Lake and it didn't hurt us. We can no
longer do that, and we can no longer make a traditional way of life in our home territory because
of the tar sands developments. The oil companies can phrase it any way they like but no one has
ever not dug for oil because of us and we don't find the consultation process meaningful."
"While First Nations have been in the region for more than 10,000 years, major tarsands companies
like Syncrude and Suncor have been leasees in our traditional homelands for only a fraction of
that time, 40 years to be exact, I would question CAPP's take on characterizing us as "their"
neighbours. I am a member and former Chief of the Mikisew Cree First Nation, the largest First
Nation in the Athabasca tarsands and today our First Nation has no "formal" relationship with
Syncrude or Suncor, that after 40 years is not something I would characterize as good corporate
responsibility. They actually have both recently been applying pressure to the First Nations in
our community of Fort Chipewyan for speaking out publicly about environmental, health and other
issues that we have observed with the unrelenting pace of tarsands development in the past few years.
"CAPP does not speak for aboriginal people; we will speak for ourselves. More and more of us are
saying we don't want your tar sands, we don't want your pipelines, and we don't want your oil
tankers.
Gracie Thacker, 72 years of age, 'recalls looking down from the sky after boarding a plane bound
for Fort Chipewayan from Fort McMurray recently. "It was night time and it looked like the city
went on and on, but it was new plants. And I thought, OK you can quit now. It's enough."'
~ as quoted by Hanneke Brooymans in the Edmonton Journal (Sep 6 2010) hbrooymans@thejournal.canwest.com ____________________________________________________________
Robert Engler The Politics of Oil: a study of private power and democratic
directions (Chicago University Press 1961 out of print but still available on the net): |
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avatar director James Cameron at the oilsands september 2010 |
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from the University of Alberta
Pollution increase a direct result of oilsands, says researcher
A U of A research team says pollution levels have increased as a direct result of nearby oilsands
operations
University of Alberta biological sciences professor
David Schindler
was part of the team that
conducted a long-term air and water study and found high levels of polycyclic aromatic compounds,
a group of organic contaminants containing several known carcinogens, cancer-causing agents,
mutagens, which can change the genetic composition of a material, and teratogens, chemicals that
can disrupt the development of an embryo or fetus. |
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August 2011 at the US White House . . . demonstrating against a million barrels of crude a day by pipeline to the Gulf Coast daily arrests of hundreds ~ jailed but charges dismissed
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"Shut down the Tar Sands" says Oilsands Truth |
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~ letter to the president released by the Nobel Women's Initiative
(full text of the letter)
September 7, 2011
We . . . ask you to do the right thing for our environment and reject the proposal to build the
Keystone XL . . .
It is your decision to make. The night you were nominated for president, you told the world that under your leadership ~ and working together ~ the rise of the oceans will begin to slow and the planet will begin to heal. You spoke of creating a clean energy economy. This is a critical moment to make good on that pledge, and make a lasting contribution to the health and well being of everyone of this planet.
Mairead Maguire, Nobel Peace Laureate (1976) - Ireland |
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Oil Sands adifferentoilsands.ca redirects to Canadian oil company Cenovus' website, where is their "Different Oilsands" advertising campaign |
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"You may have seen images of the oil sands mining operations on TV or in magazines," the company
says. "It's unlikely, though, that you've seen oil sands drilling operations. What's the difference
between mining and drilling in the oil sands? "Mining is used when the oil is close to the surface. About 20% of the oil in the oil sands is close enough to the surface that it has to be mined; drilling is used when the oil is deeper under the ground. About 80% of the oil in the oil sands is so deep underground that it has to be drilled. Drilling projects don't require tailings ponds and disturb very little land. "Cenovus has no mining projects. In fact, the oil on all of Cenovus's approximately 1.3 million net acres of land leases in the oil sands (includes 0.3 million net acres that we have exclusive rights to lease) is deep underground, which means it requires specialized technology, like steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD), to drill and pump the oil to the surface." |
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opponents, of course, use the term "tar sands", claiming it is "dirty" oil, and even "blood" oil
Ethical Oil
"right-wing pundit"/"conservative activist" Ezra Levant created the catchphrase "ethical oil" in
his 2010 book The Case for Canada's Oilsands |
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"Canada, you were once considered a leader on global issues . . ."
from Draw the line
at the Tarsand ~ November 30, 2011
African leaders call on Canada to fight global warming, not boost tar sands in a full-page Globe
and Mail ad contrasting Canada's past positive role in the apartheid struggle with its current
negative global warming position "Canada, you were once considered a leader on global issues like human rights and environmental protection. Today you're home to polluting tar sands oil, speeding the dangerous effects of climate change. For us in Africa, climate change is a life and death issue. By dramatically increasing Canada's global warming pollution, tar sands mining and drilling makes the problem worse, and exposes millions of Africans to more devastating drought and famine today and in the years to come. It's time to draw the line. We call on Canada to change course and be a leader in clean energy and to support international action to reduce global warming pollution." |
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see also
[poisoned for profit]


