STOP LINE 9 / TAR SANDS INFORMATION
The reversal of a section of Line 9 to transport diluted bitumen (dilbit) from Sarnia to Hamilton was approved by the National Energy Board. And on November 29 2012 Enbridge applied to the NEB to reverse the flow of the line from Hamilton to Montreal (through Toronto, just north of Finch Ave.) and won.
A diluted bitumen spill could put the health and safety of many communities along the pipeline route in danger. Not only can this toxic and corrosive mixture spread through the soil to threaten property and the water tables; it also crosses 3 major rivers leading to Lake Ontario - the source of our drinking water. It also crosses the G. Ross Lord Reservoir near Dufferin and Finch.
Exportation of diluted bitumen from Alberta allows for the continued rapid expansion of Tar Sands mining, already the fastest growing source of global warming pollution in Canada.
Enbridge to ask NEB permission to open Line 9 pipeline (Feb 6)
Enbridge expects its newly reversed Line 9 pipeline between southwestern Ontario and Montreal will come into service by the end of June now that it has addressed some of the National Energy Board's environmental concerns.
The Calgary-based company plans to ask the NEB for permission to open the pipeline within the next day or two, spokesman Graham White said Friday.
The pipeline was to have started up in November, but was delayed when the federal energy regulator flagged concerns about the protection of water crossings along the route.
> Read more at CBC News
Intra Vires (Within Our Jurisdiction) (Nov 9)
A city bylaw can protect us from hazardous oil
By John Riddell
On August 28, 2014, Toronto City Council voted overwhelmingly to ask pipeline company Enbridge Inc. not to pump dangerous tar sands oil (diluted bitumen) across the city.
Enbridge ignored City Council’s request.
Enbridge’s troubled Line 9 project, running across the top of the city near Finch Ave., poses an urgent threat to the health of Toronto residents.
Meanwhile, on the rail line crossing mid-Toronto, rail tanker cars carrying another form of unconventional, toxic crude oil pose a similar danger. This equally unconventional crude called Bakken fracked oil killed 47 people when it exploded in Lac Mégantic in 2013.
> Read more at http://eastendnotar.org/2014/11/09/intra-vires-within-our-jurisdiction/
Demand the NEB respect Indigenous Rights! Sign to support the Chippewas of the Thames First Nation!
I demand that the National Energy Board respect the Aboriginal and Treaty Rights of the Chippewas of the Thames First Nation. Enbridge has no right to pump dangerous oil through the community without consultation with, and consent from, Chippewas of the Thames, as well as other First Nations in Southern Ontario and Quebec. The NEB must reject Enbridge's 'leave to open' applications until the appeal is heard and First Nation rights are respected.
Why is this important?Enbridge has filed 'leave to open' on Line 9 which means that by mid-October or early November, 2014, Line 9 could be pumping tar sands dilbit and fracked Bakken oil throughout southern Ontario and Quebec. In June, 2014, the Chippewas of the Thames First Nation launched a legal challenge to the National Energy Board's approval of Line 9, stating that constitutional obligations for consultation and accommodation of Aboriginal rights had not been met. THE CASE HAS NOT YET BEEN HEARD. Enbridge is attempting to bypass the Court of Appeal in order to start pumping heavy oil through an aging pipeline built for light oil through 18 First Nations, many of whom were not consulted on the reversal project, as required by the Canadian Constitution. And the National Energy Board, closely tied to the Harper government and Big Oil, is likely to let Enbridge get away with it.
> Sign this letter at Leadnow.ca
Enbridge says Line 9 doesn't need more shut off-valves at water crossings
On October 6, the National Energy Board ordered Enbridge not to restart its Line 9 pipeline until further notice. In a letter to Enbridge, the NEB noted “only 6 of the 104 Major Water Crossings identified by Enbridge to date appear to have valves installed within 1 km on both sides of the water crossing” as required by regulations.
Suncor sneaks tar sands shipments past Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River communities
Suncor is setting a precedent around the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River Basin with its new shipments of bitumen on the St. Lawrence River.
NEB delays Line 9 opening
The National Energy Board has ordered Enbridge not to restart its Line 9 pipeline until further notice.
how to blockade
first off, understand that you CAN do this.
for the last 18 months groups as small as 8 have been disrupting and occupying pipeline construction sites all over Turtle Island. it takes even fewer than that to accomplish more clandestine activities which can be equally [or more] disruptive.
the reality is that you’ll take action if you want to see it done, which brings us to the second thing: it’s easy to get caught up in thinking this is about one pipeline but you’d be wrong.
those who work within this struggle understand that the fight against line 9 is one which lives and futures genuinely depend on. they understand that this is about indigenous sovereignty, colonialism and environmental racism. they know that just as much as this is about poisoned water, deforestation and global warming it’s also about class and capitalism. the fight against line 9 – or line 8, line 11 or energy east [or the eastern mainline gas pipeline that will facilitate it] – is a way for those in so-called ontario to engage against all of these things.
> Learn more at http://dissemination.noblogs.org/how-to-blockade/
LINE 9: Many are ignorant of the oil pipeline, while others exhort its threat to our communities (Sept 25)
Line 9 has some Toronto residents fearing the idea of tarsands oil passing close to their backyards while others have no idea the oil pipleine even exists at all.
Scarborough resident, Ruth Gill, a member of Scarborough Bitumen Free Future (SBFF), is concerned about the expected transport of bitumen oil, commonly referred to as tarsands oil, that could flow through the pipeline. While Enbridge says the line will be used mainly for conventional oil, Gill remains uneasy about the possibility.
Given its location near many homes and creeks, she is especially worried about the consequences of a leak or oil spill from the line.
“All the major rivers in Toronto are crossed by Line 9. If there is a bitumen spill, it will affect all of those creeks and rivers potentially reaching Lake Ontario,” Gill said.
> Read more at http://www.insidetoronto.com/news-story/4878927-line-9-many-are-ignorant-of-the-oil-pipeline-while-others-exhort-its-threat-to-our-communities/
Buildup along Line 9 in Toronto without emergency plans being set (Sept 23)
Development continues along the controversial Line 9 pipeline pathway in Toronto even as emergency officials work on response plans in case of a leak or rupture.
Pipeline operator Enbridge is targeting October 15 as the date to get oil moving through the 639-kilometre line that snakes its way from Sarnia, Ont., to Montreal. Part of that path takes the pipeline through the north end of Toronto.
Enbridge wants to reverse the flow of Line 9, so that Alberta oil can be transported to Montreal refineries.
Canada's National Energy Board, the federal regulator, has given the energy provider permission to boost capacity in the line to about 300,000 barrels a day.
> Read more at http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/buildup-along-line-9-in-toronto-without-emergency-plans-being-set-1.2774757
Beautiful Destruction (Sept 1)
Using art to re-imagine the Alberta Oil/Tar Sands and create space for respectful dialogue. Book is now available for pre-order at Kickstarter.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1390005755/beautiful-destruction-alberta-oil-tar-sands-photo?ref=recommended
http://beautifuldestruction.ca/
Duelling CBC Articles on the CoC Waterways Report (Aug 27)
Just a quick update. We've had duelling cbc articles on the waterways report. The first started as NB cbc news but made it to the Canadian news webpage for a day. http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/energy-east-pipeline-route-crosses-961-waterways-report-1.2740677
TransCanada responded, we think fairly weakly (taking a couple of swipes at us). http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/energy-east-pipeline-won-t-endanger-water-transcanada-says-1.2743949
Now were are duelling in the Edmonton Journal - we've definitely annoyed them with this one: http://www.edmontonjournal.com/business/energy-resources/Energy+East+pipeline+would+waterways+risk/10150570/story.html
first off, understand that you CAN do this.
for the last 18 months groups as small as 8 have been disrupting and occupying pipeline construction sites all over Turtle Island. it takes even fewer than that to accomplish more clandestine activities which can be equally [or more] disruptive.
the reality is that you’ll take action if you want to see it done, which brings us to the second thing: it’s easy to get caught up in thinking this is about one pipeline but you’d be wrong.
those who work within this struggle understand that the fight against line 9 is one which lives and futures genuinely depend on. they understand that this is about indigenous sovereignty, colonialism and environmental racism. they know that just as much as this is about poisoned water, deforestation and global warming it’s also about class and capitalism. the fight against line 9 – or line 8, line 11 or energy east [or the eastern mainline gas pipeline that will facilitate it] – is a way for those in so-called ontario to engage against all of these things.
> Learn more at http://dissemination.noblogs.org/how-to-blockade/
LINE 9: Many are ignorant of the oil pipeline, while others exhort its threat to our communities (Sept 25)
Line 9 has some Toronto residents fearing the idea of tarsands oil passing close to their backyards while others have no idea the oil pipleine even exists at all.
Scarborough resident, Ruth Gill, a member of Scarborough Bitumen Free Future (SBFF), is concerned about the expected transport of bitumen oil, commonly referred to as tarsands oil, that could flow through the pipeline. While Enbridge says the line will be used mainly for conventional oil, Gill remains uneasy about the possibility.
Given its location near many homes and creeks, she is especially worried about the consequences of a leak or oil spill from the line.
“All the major rivers in Toronto are crossed by Line 9. If there is a bitumen spill, it will affect all of those creeks and rivers potentially reaching Lake Ontario,” Gill said.
> Read more at http://www.insidetoronto.com/news-story/4878927-line-9-many-are-ignorant-of-the-oil-pipeline-while-others-exhort-its-threat-to-our-communities/
Buildup along Line 9 in Toronto without emergency plans being set (Sept 23)
Development continues along the controversial Line 9 pipeline pathway in Toronto even as emergency officials work on response plans in case of a leak or rupture.
Pipeline operator Enbridge is targeting October 15 as the date to get oil moving through the 639-kilometre line that snakes its way from Sarnia, Ont., to Montreal. Part of that path takes the pipeline through the north end of Toronto.
Enbridge wants to reverse the flow of Line 9, so that Alberta oil can be transported to Montreal refineries.
Canada's National Energy Board, the federal regulator, has given the energy provider permission to boost capacity in the line to about 300,000 barrels a day.
> Read more at http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/buildup-along-line-9-in-toronto-without-emergency-plans-being-set-1.2774757
Beautiful Destruction (Sept 1)
Using art to re-imagine the Alberta Oil/Tar Sands and create space for respectful dialogue. Book is now available for pre-order at Kickstarter.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1390005755/beautiful-destruction-alberta-oil-tar-sands-photo?ref=recommended
http://beautifuldestruction.ca/
Duelling CBC Articles on the CoC Waterways Report (Aug 27)
Just a quick update. We've had duelling cbc articles on the waterways report. The first started as NB cbc news but made it to the Canadian news webpage for a day. http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/energy-east-pipeline-route-crosses-961-waterways-report-1.2740677
TransCanada responded, we think fairly weakly (taking a couple of swipes at us). http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/energy-east-pipeline-won-t-endanger-water-transcanada-says-1.2743949
Now were are duelling in the Edmonton Journal - we've definitely annoyed them with this one: http://www.edmontonjournal.com/business/energy-resources/Energy+East+pipeline+would+waterways+risk/10150570/story.html
North York blockade (August 11) pics below:
Dam Line 9 photos (August 8) below...
Provincial candidates commit to environmental assessment on Line 9 (June 11)
A coalition of grassroots groups have received confirmation from 67 provincial candidates in Ontario that, if elected, they would conduct an environmental assessment (EA) on the controversial Line 9 pipeline that runs through Southern Ontario.
Line 9 is the 39 year old pipeline originally built for regular oil which Enbridge is now reversing to pump tar sands dilbit and fracked Bakken gas from Sarnia to Montreal. The pipeline passes through densely populated areas, including Toronto, as well as 18 First Nation communities, many of whom say they were not properly consulted.
> Read more at rabble
A coalition of grassroots groups have received confirmation from 67 provincial candidates in Ontario that, if elected, they would conduct an environmental assessment (EA) on the controversial Line 9 pipeline that runs through Southern Ontario.
Line 9 is the 39 year old pipeline originally built for regular oil which Enbridge is now reversing to pump tar sands dilbit and fracked Bakken gas from Sarnia to Montreal. The pipeline passes through densely populated areas, including Toronto, as well as 18 First Nation communities, many of whom say they were not properly consulted.
> Read more at rabble
National Day of Action: No Tar Sands, No Fracking, No Line 9! review
> See photos of the rally: https://www.facebook.com/events/1412880168983337/
Glaring info gaps a strong reason to stop fracking (May 5)
Late Wednesday evening, the Council of Canadian Academies (CCA) released its long-awaited report Environmental Impacts of Shale Gas Extraction in Canada. In September 2011, former Environment Minister Peter Kent tasked the CCA to address the following questions...
Parliament Hill gets “fracked” (May 1)
‘Frack Corp’ fracked Parliament Hill this morning using a 14-foot fracking rig spilling fracking wastewater in the process. The Council of Canadians, the organization behind the action, said it was to highlight the grave risks associated with fracking such as well leaks and wastewater spills.
“We organized this action to drive home to Members of Parliament why Canadian and Indigenous communities are calling for a ban on fracking,” says Emma Lui, water campaigner with the Council of Canadians. “Affected communities have been sounding the alarm on fracking for years because of the potential for water contamination, increases in greenhouse gases and health risks but their concerns have been ignored.”
> Read more at the Council of Canadians
Fracking Shale Gas: Myths and Realities
Excellent 4-part series by Andrew Nikiforuk
http://thetyee.ca/Series/2013/01/08/Fracking-Myths-And-Realities/
Getting railroaded with DOT-111 tanker trains in Toronto (May 2)
Last weekend the Toronto Star ran an article showing how on any given day thousands of litres of crude oil (possibly bakkan or tarsands dilbit), radioactive material, explosives and some of the most toxic chemicals on earth are rumbling through Toronto neighbourhoods in dangerous DOT-111 tank cars.
> Read more at the Council of Canadians
Ontario must stop risky pipeline projects (April 14)
Earlier this month, Fiona McMurran from our Niagara chapter and I met with Ontario’s Environment Minister, Jim Bradley, about two proposed pipeline projects in the province - Energy East and Line 9 - the forty-year-old Enbridge oil pipeline that was recently rubber stamped by the National Energy Board to carry diluted bitumen from Sarnia to Montreal and possibly beyond for export.
Toronto City Council pushes back against petro giants (April 8)
Toronto City Council unanimously adopted a series of motions on April 1 seeking to protect residents against transport of toxic oil products by pipeline and rail. While the motions have no legal effect, they mark an important victory for local ecological campaigners and all Toronto residents.
Most notably, the council voted 28 to 4 to ask the Province of Ontario to “conduct a comprehensive environmental assessment of the Enbridge Line 9B application” – a project to run diluted tar sands oil (“dilbit”) through an aging pipeline (“Line 9”) that cuts across the city (see “Ethical Enbridge?”) The vote, on a motion by Councillor Mike Layton, was a slap in the face of Canada’s federal government, whose National Energy Board (NEB) had approved the project March 6 in a decision aimed at shutting down controversy over the troubled project.
> Read more at John Riddell's blog: http://johnriddell.wordpress.com/2014/04/08/toronto-city-council-pushes-back-against-petro-giants/
Rob Ford Isn't Worried About A Cracked Pipe Called Line 9 (April 4)
Mayor Rob Ford, along with three other city councillors in Toronto, voted against a motion to ask the province to study the environmental risks of the thoroughly-cracked, almost 40-year old Enbridge Line 9 pipeline. The NEB has just approved Enbridge’s application to use the line to transport highly toxic and explosive fuels like tar-sands diluted bitumen and US Bakken crude through the city.
Council voted 28-4 in favour of a motion to ask the “Ontario Minister of Environment to conduct a comprehensive Environmental Assessment for the Enbridge Line 9B Application” and to “forward a copy of the request to the Federal Minister of the Environment.” In passing this resolution, Toronto joins Kingston and all five municipalities in the Durham Region in asking the province for an environmental impact assessment.
“An environmental assessment is the least that the province can do to understand this potentially devastating project that the NEB has rubber-stamped. I would call a 90 percent risk of rupture predicted by pipeline experts a bit of a red flag,” said Sakura Saunders, an activist who belongs to the Toronto Coalition Against Line 9 that brought the issue to the attention of several city councillors.
“Before Harper's gutting of environmental regulation in this country, a federal Environmental Assessment (EA) was standard. Let's not forget that,” Saunders added.
> Read more at Vice: http://www.vice.com/en_ca/read/rob-ford-isnt-worried-about-a-cracked-pipe-called-line-9
Line 9's Approval Puts Millions of People at Risk (March 6)
It seems illogical to use the most populated stretch of Canada as a transport corridor for toxic and highly volatile fuels, but the National Energy Board of Canada has approved Enbridge’s request to do just that. They have just authorized the company to flow tar sands dilbit and U.S. Bakken crude through their 38 year old Line 9 pipeline. The 830km long pipe runs through the largest cities in Canada and crosses hundreds of waterways throughout Ontario and Quebec, including every single tributary that drains into Lake Ontario.
The NEB has ruled that the project serves Canadians’ public interest, leaving little doubt as to which Canadians they are advocating for. Certainly, it isn’t the first Canadians, as the NEB’s approval arrives in spite of testimonies from First Nations along the line that the federal government has never consulted with them about this project.
The government bureaucrats who made this decision were Lyne Mercier, a former oil and gas sector manager, Mike Richmond, a corporate energy lawyer, and Jacques Gauthier, a former energy sector CEO who has worked closely with Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
> Read more at Vice
Activists call for environmental assessment of Enbridge’s Line 9 (March 7)
TORONTO – Local environmental and community groups are speaking out against the National Energy Board’s decision to approve a controversial pipeline proposal.
On Thursday, the board gave the green light to Enbridge’s plan to reverse the flow and increase the capacity of Line 9, a pipeline between southern Ontario and Montreal, with conditions.
Line 9 runs through many communities in Ontario and Quebec – cutting through rivers, parks, backyards and transit corridors in some of the most heavily populated areas of the country.
> Read more at the Globe and Mail
Toronto's Coalition Against Line 9 Press Conference
> Watch Friday's press conference at Queen's Park on YouTube
Nine reasons to reject the NEB decision and continue opposing Line 9
Like the Joint Review Panel’s recent whitewash of the Northern Gateway pipeline, the National Energy Board has rubber stamped Enbridge's Line 9 pipeline. Here are nine reasons to reject their 158-page decision and continue opposing Line 9.
> Read more at rabble
Line 9 shows why broken system needs fixing (March 7)
Sometimes when bad news is delivered it can bring up mixed emotions. That was the case yesterday when we learned of the National Energy Board’s (NEB) irresponsible approval of Enbridge’s risky Line 9 tar sands pipeline project.
We were, of course, deeply disappointed. The rubber-stamp approval of this unnecessary and dangerous oil pipeline project now puts millions of Canadians at risk for little benefit.
At the same time, we were moved when we thought of how many Canadians raised their voices against this risky project. You signed letters, displayed lawn signs, paddled rivers, and attended events like Rock the Line – all to raise awareness about the risks of Line 9. We know that these voices coming together are helping to build a growing movement of Canadians from coast to coast to coast who are opposed risky energy projects.
It is profoundly frustrating that the NEB didn’t listen to these voices. As we review the Line 9 decision and explore our options, one thing is clear; The decision shows that Canada’s regulatory system – intended to protect the environment and health of Canadians from major industrial projects – is completely broken.
> Read more at http://environmentaldefence.ca/blog/line-9-shows-why-broken-system-needs-fixing
Enbridge Line 9: W5 uncovers unreported spills, alarming communities along 830-km pipe
By: Jessica McDiarmid News reporter, Annie Burns-Pieper CTV W5, Published on Sat Feb 22 2014
An aging Enbridge pipeline that runs across Ontario has had at least 35 spills — far more than reported to federal regulators — but many municipalities along its route have never been informed of the incidents, a CTV W5investigation reveals.
The National Energy Board, which regulates pipelines in Canada, has records of seven spills, while Enbridge told the investigative program there had been 13.
But W5’s analysis of information from the energy board, the company and Ontario’s Ministry of the Environment showed 35 spills associated with the 830-kilometre Line 9. (The Quebec government refused to provide W5 with any information).
The company is seeking federal approval to increase and reverse flow on the 38-year-old pipeline and use it to transport, in part, diluted bitumen from Alberta’s oilsands.
“It’s quite alarming,” said Brian McHattie, a city councillor in Hamilton, where seven leaks over the years have released nearly 3,000 litres of crude oil at company facilities northwest of the city. “This is new information for me.”
Read More Here:
http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/torontopipeline/2014/02/22/enbridge_line_9_w5_uncovers_unreported_spills_alarming_communities_along_830km_pipe.html
Pipeline War airs at 7 p.m. Saturday on CTV’s W5.
Not Worth The Risk: A Community Report on the Line 9 National Energy Board Hearings
Rising Tide Toronto, Toronto West End Against Line 9 and allies have recently put out a terrific community report on Line 9 and the great risk posed by transporting Tar Sands diluted bitumen (dilbit) through this aging, damaged pipeline.
The Toronto chapter of the Council of Canadians is very pleased to endorse this report!
> Read this important report at http://risingtidetoronto.noblogs.org/files/2014/03/NEB_report_final_web_march6-3.pdf
Help print the Not Worth The Risk Report!
Recently, community organizations along the route of Enbridge's Line 9 pipeline collaborated on a report to highlight the findings of the National Energy Board (NEB) hearings that took place last October in Toronto and Montreal. Many concerned residents, municipalities, First Nations band councils and advocacy groups at these hearings contributed to a wealth of knowledge to the debate around Enbridge’s Line 9 reversal proposal, and this report is a compilation of many of the strongest arguments and information heard during those hearings.
Already endorsed by over 25 community organizations and 12 academics, this report is both an essential and accessible resource for understanding the risks associated with this pipeline proposal.
We need your help to print copies of these reports to all of the municipalities, MPs, and MPPs along the route, hand delivered by community organizations that endorsed the report!
Please help us pay for the printing and postage costs associated with this report! We are all volunteers who wrote, produced, and are delivering this report, but need help to distribute it!
> Help fund printing costs at GoFundMe
Pipeline politics in Toronto: Time for a radical alternative (Feb 9)
The tar sands pipeline plan, and extreme weather impacts driven by climate change, strengthen the case for a strong progressive challenge to the right-wing Rob Ford machine.
The Line 9 pipeline controversy has engaged a sizeable number of Toronto residents in the broader controversy over climate change and its implications for the city. A number of different developments intertwine.
Line 9B is a 38-year-old pipeline. It runs from North West Over, Ontario to Montreal, Quebec, and is connected to the Alberta tar sands through a network of other pipes (Line 9A and Line 6B). Here in Toronto, it runs along the hydro corridor, roughly along Finch Avenue. It passes near Pearson Airport, Finch Subway Station, York University and countless communities along the line, including public schools.
Enbridge has applied to reverse the flow, to ultimately take oil out to foreign markets; increase the capacity from 240,000 barrels per day to 300,000; and also transport diluted bitumen, a much more toxic and corrosive oil, and Bakken crude, the same volatile product that decimated Lac-Mégantic in May 2013. Enbridge has also failed to properly consult 14 First Nations along the line.
Line 9 crosses every major tributary into Lake Ontario, threatening our drinking water. In the event of major water contamination, Toronto is likely to be stuck importing water for its citizens – an economic and logistical nightmare.
> Read more at Ecosocialism Canada
Emissions from planned pipeline will equal 7 million cars
The Energy East pipeline will lead to greenhouse gas emission increases equal to adding over seven million cars to Canada’s roads.
In August 2013, energy infrastructure company TransCanada announced its intention to build a $12 billion pipeline and export terminal project called Energy East. The proposed route would run from Hardisty, Alberta, to the Canaport crude terminal near Saint John, New Brunswick. The pipeline would have the capacity to transport 1.1 million barrels per day of crude oil, including oilsands and conventional crude production.
If it proceeds as proposed, Energy East would be a very significant new piece of oil transportation infrastructure. Indeed, Ontario’s Minister of Energy, Bob Chiarelli, called the proposal “certainly the most significant east-west energy transportation initiative in a generation” and “the largest pipeline project in Canada in over 50 years.”
> Read more at Ecosocialism Canada
> Executive Summary of Climate Implications of the Proposed Energy East Pipeline, published February 6, 2014, by the Pembina Institute. The full report can be downloaded here (pdf).
Opposition to the Alberta Clipper continues to grow
February 7, 2014
The opposition to the expansion of the Alberta Clipper transporting tar sands oil from Hardisty, Alberta to Superior, Wisconsin continues to grow.
http://www.canadians.org/blog/opposition-alberta-clipper-continues-grow
Toxic carcinogens from tar sands oil production underestimated - report — RT USA
Published: February 04, 2014
http://rt.com/usa/keystone-oil-emissions-carcinogens-650/
TransCanada's Export (B)East: a Climate Crime
We knew the climate impacts of TransCanada's Energy East pipe would be huge!
http://canadians.org/blog/transcanadas-export-beast-climate-crime
Irving Oil sees Saint John terminal as 'key export point'
Jeff Matthews, Irving Oil’s chief business development officer, said a $300-million marine terminal near Saint John would be a key export point for the western oil."
http://canadians.org/blog/irving-oil-sees-saint-john-terminal-key-export-point
Enbridge's Line 9 is Cracked All Over (Jan 27)
Enbridge’s Line 9 pipeline has thousands of “crack-like features” as the company euphemism goes. In the coming months, hundreds of sections of the pipe will be dug up for inspection in Ontario and Quebec in a massive sweep of Enbridge “integrity digs.” If Enbridge deems it necessary, these stretches of pipe will be repaired or replaced. But hundreds of other pipe sections, with thousands of defects known to the company, will be left in the ground untouched. Worse still, Enbridge is guided through this process by General Electric’s experimental “smart-pig” technology,which according to their own reports has consistently underestimated the severity of cracks along Line 9 while missing hundreds of them altogether.
An Enbridge spokesperson argued to the CBC, days after their Alberta Clipper pipeline spill, that this massive Line 9 inspection operation reflects the company’s “prudent” approach to pipeline safety. While this certainly sounds reassuring, the company’s digs are only targeting the very weakest portions of the line - of which there are apparently hundreds. According to Enbridge’s engineering assessment of Line 9, for a section of pipe to be excavated it must have cracks that are at least 50% as deep as the pipeline’s surprisingly thin carbon-steel walls - most of the pipe is 6.35mm thick.
“Frankly, with the number of integrity digs going on, landowners are wondering how poor the condition of Line 9 actually is,” John Goudy told the National Energy Board in a speech given on behalf of the Ontario Pipeline Landowners Association.
> Read more at Vice
Petition: Line 9 Environmental Assessment
Posted on Jonah Schein's (MPP Davenport) website:
Enbridge Canada Inc. is proposing to reverse the flow of the Line 9 pipeline in order to transport western oil through the most densely populated parts of Ontario. This oil will include tar sands crude, which is not currently part of the east to west flow.
Enbridge’s proposal includes increasing Line 9’s carrying capacity so it can transport more oil and the transport of significantly more corrosive, tar sands oil through the pipeline.
The proposal raises serious environmental and health concerns. Not only will this new oil pass under over a dozen cities and major rivers, but a spill would risk the health and drinking water of millions of Ontarians like us, and cause permanent damage to ecosystems.
The National Energy Board is hosting hearings on Line 9, but we need a more comprehensive review of the potential impacts Enbridge’s Line 9 project will have on our province.
The Ontario Ministry of the Environment has the mandate to require an Environmental Assessment of a project that it deems will have a significant impact on our environment. This Assessment allows the government to review the scope and nature of the environmental impacts of that project and consult the public on these impacts.
As so many of us stand to be affected by this project, there should be a public discussion about what we stand to gain or lose from the Line 9 proposal.
> Sign the petition to let the Ontario Minister of Environment know that you want the government to prioritize the health and environment of our province and require an Environmental Assessment of Line 9.
Council of Canadians joins Stakeholder Group for Ontario Energy Board Energy East Consultation
As far as I know, TransCanada’s proposed Energy East project is the biggest pipeline currently proposed in North America. It would carry a whopping 1.1 million barrels of crude (bpd) every day. Bigger then TransCanada’s controversial Keystone XL pipeline at 830,000 bpd, Trans Mountain pipeline expansion up to 890 000 bpd and Enbridge’s Northern Gateway at 525 000 bpd.
http://canadians.org/blog/council-canadians-joins-stakeholder-group-ontario-energy-board-energy-east-consultation
Help Neil Young and the ACFN Draw a Line in the Sand
Campaign Update: We are so honoured that almost 1,400 donors have supported our cause and we hit our initial goal! Your continued support means we can launch another suit against the other major tar sands mine planned for our territory.
The Athabasca Chipewyan First Nations and other communities live at the front lines of the largest industrial project on earth. Much of ACFN’s traditional territories are home to tar sands rich deposits eyed by industry for exploitation.
Tar sands extraction methods cause large scale and irreversible harm to our health, land, water, wildlife, and the global climate system that supports all life. Canadian and Albertan environmental protection laws have been greatly eroded in recent years, and what laws do exist are rarely if ever followed, or law-breakers penalized.
Despite these and other well documented problems, industry and government plan to triple tar sands production, and won’t even stop there.
The last remaining stronghold for challenging this mad rush lies within the rights and title held by First Nations peoples.
The ACFN are actively engaged in a multi-prong legal strategy to challenge public policy, individual tar sands projects and inadequate environmental protection in Alberta's Athabasca tar sands region.
We have drawn a line in the sand, but we need help to hold the government accountable in the courts of law.
Neil Young has visited our territory and seen the impacts of the tar sands first hand. That is why he has partnered with us to raise money for our legal challenge of tar sands expansion and environmental destruction.
In the “Honor the Treaty” concert series this January, Neil Young and Diana Krall will perform live in Toronto, Winnipeg, Regina, and Calgary. 100% of all proceeds will go to ACFN.
If you weren’t able to purchase tickets to the shows, or want to support our fight from where you live, you can still be part of this historic moment and create a lasting legacy for the ACFN and all future generations by helping fund our legal efforts.
> Read more at Honour the ACFN
First-Ever Footage of Aging Tar Sands Pipelines Beneath Great Lakes
This past July, National Wildlife Federation (NWF) conducted a diving expedition to obtain footage of aging oil pipelines strung across one of the most sensitive locations in the Great Lakes, and possibly the world: the Straits of Mackinac. Footage of these pipelines has never been released to the public until now.
The Straits of Mackinac pipelines, owned by Enbridge Energy, are 60-years-old and considered one of the greatest threats to the Great Lakes because of their age, location and the hazardous products they transport - including tar sands derived oil.
> Read more at EcoWatch
Rail versus pipeline is the wrong question (Jan 23)
Debating the best way to do something we shouldn't be doing in the first place is a sure way to end up in the wrong place. That's what's happening with the "rail versus pipeline" discussion. Some say recent rail accidents mean we should build more pipelines to transport fossil fuels. Others argue that leaks, high construction costs, opposition and red tape surrounding pipelines are arguments in favour of using trains.
But the recent spate of rail accidents and pipeline leaks and spills doesn't provide arguments for one or the other; instead, it indicates that rapidly increasing oil and gas development and shipping ever greater amounts, by any method, will mean more accidents, spills, environmental damage — even death. The answer is to step back from this reckless plunder and consider ways to reduce our fossil fuel use.
> Read more at David Suzuki
Stop Line 9 Toolkit
Some of you have asked for more information on how to talk about Line 9 with your family, friends & neighbours. There's a great Toolkit of Line 9 materials. Lots of information (fact sheets, presentations, maps and reports) perfect for helping you raise awareness on this issue.
> Stop Line 9 Toronto toolkit
> See photos of the rally: https://www.facebook.com/events/1412880168983337/
Glaring info gaps a strong reason to stop fracking (May 5)
Late Wednesday evening, the Council of Canadian Academies (CCA) released its long-awaited report Environmental Impacts of Shale Gas Extraction in Canada. In September 2011, former Environment Minister Peter Kent tasked the CCA to address the following questions...
Parliament Hill gets “fracked” (May 1)
‘Frack Corp’ fracked Parliament Hill this morning using a 14-foot fracking rig spilling fracking wastewater in the process. The Council of Canadians, the organization behind the action, said it was to highlight the grave risks associated with fracking such as well leaks and wastewater spills.
“We organized this action to drive home to Members of Parliament why Canadian and Indigenous communities are calling for a ban on fracking,” says Emma Lui, water campaigner with the Council of Canadians. “Affected communities have been sounding the alarm on fracking for years because of the potential for water contamination, increases in greenhouse gases and health risks but their concerns have been ignored.”
> Read more at the Council of Canadians
Fracking Shale Gas: Myths and Realities
Excellent 4-part series by Andrew Nikiforuk
http://thetyee.ca/Series/2013/01/08/Fracking-Myths-And-Realities/
Getting railroaded with DOT-111 tanker trains in Toronto (May 2)
Last weekend the Toronto Star ran an article showing how on any given day thousands of litres of crude oil (possibly bakkan or tarsands dilbit), radioactive material, explosives and some of the most toxic chemicals on earth are rumbling through Toronto neighbourhoods in dangerous DOT-111 tank cars.
> Read more at the Council of Canadians
Ontario must stop risky pipeline projects (April 14)
Earlier this month, Fiona McMurran from our Niagara chapter and I met with Ontario’s Environment Minister, Jim Bradley, about two proposed pipeline projects in the province - Energy East and Line 9 - the forty-year-old Enbridge oil pipeline that was recently rubber stamped by the National Energy Board to carry diluted bitumen from Sarnia to Montreal and possibly beyond for export.
Toronto City Council pushes back against petro giants (April 8)
Toronto City Council unanimously adopted a series of motions on April 1 seeking to protect residents against transport of toxic oil products by pipeline and rail. While the motions have no legal effect, they mark an important victory for local ecological campaigners and all Toronto residents.
Most notably, the council voted 28 to 4 to ask the Province of Ontario to “conduct a comprehensive environmental assessment of the Enbridge Line 9B application” – a project to run diluted tar sands oil (“dilbit”) through an aging pipeline (“Line 9”) that cuts across the city (see “Ethical Enbridge?”) The vote, on a motion by Councillor Mike Layton, was a slap in the face of Canada’s federal government, whose National Energy Board (NEB) had approved the project March 6 in a decision aimed at shutting down controversy over the troubled project.
> Read more at John Riddell's blog: http://johnriddell.wordpress.com/2014/04/08/toronto-city-council-pushes-back-against-petro-giants/
Rob Ford Isn't Worried About A Cracked Pipe Called Line 9 (April 4)
Mayor Rob Ford, along with three other city councillors in Toronto, voted against a motion to ask the province to study the environmental risks of the thoroughly-cracked, almost 40-year old Enbridge Line 9 pipeline. The NEB has just approved Enbridge’s application to use the line to transport highly toxic and explosive fuels like tar-sands diluted bitumen and US Bakken crude through the city.
Council voted 28-4 in favour of a motion to ask the “Ontario Minister of Environment to conduct a comprehensive Environmental Assessment for the Enbridge Line 9B Application” and to “forward a copy of the request to the Federal Minister of the Environment.” In passing this resolution, Toronto joins Kingston and all five municipalities in the Durham Region in asking the province for an environmental impact assessment.
“An environmental assessment is the least that the province can do to understand this potentially devastating project that the NEB has rubber-stamped. I would call a 90 percent risk of rupture predicted by pipeline experts a bit of a red flag,” said Sakura Saunders, an activist who belongs to the Toronto Coalition Against Line 9 that brought the issue to the attention of several city councillors.
“Before Harper's gutting of environmental regulation in this country, a federal Environmental Assessment (EA) was standard. Let's not forget that,” Saunders added.
> Read more at Vice: http://www.vice.com/en_ca/read/rob-ford-isnt-worried-about-a-cracked-pipe-called-line-9
Line 9's Approval Puts Millions of People at Risk (March 6)
It seems illogical to use the most populated stretch of Canada as a transport corridor for toxic and highly volatile fuels, but the National Energy Board of Canada has approved Enbridge’s request to do just that. They have just authorized the company to flow tar sands dilbit and U.S. Bakken crude through their 38 year old Line 9 pipeline. The 830km long pipe runs through the largest cities in Canada and crosses hundreds of waterways throughout Ontario and Quebec, including every single tributary that drains into Lake Ontario.
The NEB has ruled that the project serves Canadians’ public interest, leaving little doubt as to which Canadians they are advocating for. Certainly, it isn’t the first Canadians, as the NEB’s approval arrives in spite of testimonies from First Nations along the line that the federal government has never consulted with them about this project.
The government bureaucrats who made this decision were Lyne Mercier, a former oil and gas sector manager, Mike Richmond, a corporate energy lawyer, and Jacques Gauthier, a former energy sector CEO who has worked closely with Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
> Read more at Vice
Activists call for environmental assessment of Enbridge’s Line 9 (March 7)
TORONTO – Local environmental and community groups are speaking out against the National Energy Board’s decision to approve a controversial pipeline proposal.
On Thursday, the board gave the green light to Enbridge’s plan to reverse the flow and increase the capacity of Line 9, a pipeline between southern Ontario and Montreal, with conditions.
Line 9 runs through many communities in Ontario and Quebec – cutting through rivers, parks, backyards and transit corridors in some of the most heavily populated areas of the country.
> Read more at the Globe and Mail
Toronto's Coalition Against Line 9 Press Conference
> Watch Friday's press conference at Queen's Park on YouTube
Nine reasons to reject the NEB decision and continue opposing Line 9
Like the Joint Review Panel’s recent whitewash of the Northern Gateway pipeline, the National Energy Board has rubber stamped Enbridge's Line 9 pipeline. Here are nine reasons to reject their 158-page decision and continue opposing Line 9.
> Read more at rabble
Line 9 shows why broken system needs fixing (March 7)
Sometimes when bad news is delivered it can bring up mixed emotions. That was the case yesterday when we learned of the National Energy Board’s (NEB) irresponsible approval of Enbridge’s risky Line 9 tar sands pipeline project.
We were, of course, deeply disappointed. The rubber-stamp approval of this unnecessary and dangerous oil pipeline project now puts millions of Canadians at risk for little benefit.
At the same time, we were moved when we thought of how many Canadians raised their voices against this risky project. You signed letters, displayed lawn signs, paddled rivers, and attended events like Rock the Line – all to raise awareness about the risks of Line 9. We know that these voices coming together are helping to build a growing movement of Canadians from coast to coast to coast who are opposed risky energy projects.
It is profoundly frustrating that the NEB didn’t listen to these voices. As we review the Line 9 decision and explore our options, one thing is clear; The decision shows that Canada’s regulatory system – intended to protect the environment and health of Canadians from major industrial projects – is completely broken.
> Read more at http://environmentaldefence.ca/blog/line-9-shows-why-broken-system-needs-fixing
Enbridge Line 9: W5 uncovers unreported spills, alarming communities along 830-km pipe
By: Jessica McDiarmid News reporter, Annie Burns-Pieper CTV W5, Published on Sat Feb 22 2014
An aging Enbridge pipeline that runs across Ontario has had at least 35 spills — far more than reported to federal regulators — but many municipalities along its route have never been informed of the incidents, a CTV W5investigation reveals.
The National Energy Board, which regulates pipelines in Canada, has records of seven spills, while Enbridge told the investigative program there had been 13.
But W5’s analysis of information from the energy board, the company and Ontario’s Ministry of the Environment showed 35 spills associated with the 830-kilometre Line 9. (The Quebec government refused to provide W5 with any information).
The company is seeking federal approval to increase and reverse flow on the 38-year-old pipeline and use it to transport, in part, diluted bitumen from Alberta’s oilsands.
“It’s quite alarming,” said Brian McHattie, a city councillor in Hamilton, where seven leaks over the years have released nearly 3,000 litres of crude oil at company facilities northwest of the city. “This is new information for me.”
Read More Here:
http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/torontopipeline/2014/02/22/enbridge_line_9_w5_uncovers_unreported_spills_alarming_communities_along_830km_pipe.html
Pipeline War airs at 7 p.m. Saturday on CTV’s W5.
Not Worth The Risk: A Community Report on the Line 9 National Energy Board Hearings
Rising Tide Toronto, Toronto West End Against Line 9 and allies have recently put out a terrific community report on Line 9 and the great risk posed by transporting Tar Sands diluted bitumen (dilbit) through this aging, damaged pipeline.
The Toronto chapter of the Council of Canadians is very pleased to endorse this report!
> Read this important report at http://risingtidetoronto.noblogs.org/files/2014/03/NEB_report_final_web_march6-3.pdf
Help print the Not Worth The Risk Report!
Recently, community organizations along the route of Enbridge's Line 9 pipeline collaborated on a report to highlight the findings of the National Energy Board (NEB) hearings that took place last October in Toronto and Montreal. Many concerned residents, municipalities, First Nations band councils and advocacy groups at these hearings contributed to a wealth of knowledge to the debate around Enbridge’s Line 9 reversal proposal, and this report is a compilation of many of the strongest arguments and information heard during those hearings.
Already endorsed by over 25 community organizations and 12 academics, this report is both an essential and accessible resource for understanding the risks associated with this pipeline proposal.
We need your help to print copies of these reports to all of the municipalities, MPs, and MPPs along the route, hand delivered by community organizations that endorsed the report!
Please help us pay for the printing and postage costs associated with this report! We are all volunteers who wrote, produced, and are delivering this report, but need help to distribute it!
> Help fund printing costs at GoFundMe
Pipeline politics in Toronto: Time for a radical alternative (Feb 9)
The tar sands pipeline plan, and extreme weather impacts driven by climate change, strengthen the case for a strong progressive challenge to the right-wing Rob Ford machine.
The Line 9 pipeline controversy has engaged a sizeable number of Toronto residents in the broader controversy over climate change and its implications for the city. A number of different developments intertwine.
Line 9B is a 38-year-old pipeline. It runs from North West Over, Ontario to Montreal, Quebec, and is connected to the Alberta tar sands through a network of other pipes (Line 9A and Line 6B). Here in Toronto, it runs along the hydro corridor, roughly along Finch Avenue. It passes near Pearson Airport, Finch Subway Station, York University and countless communities along the line, including public schools.
Enbridge has applied to reverse the flow, to ultimately take oil out to foreign markets; increase the capacity from 240,000 barrels per day to 300,000; and also transport diluted bitumen, a much more toxic and corrosive oil, and Bakken crude, the same volatile product that decimated Lac-Mégantic in May 2013. Enbridge has also failed to properly consult 14 First Nations along the line.
Line 9 crosses every major tributary into Lake Ontario, threatening our drinking water. In the event of major water contamination, Toronto is likely to be stuck importing water for its citizens – an economic and logistical nightmare.
> Read more at Ecosocialism Canada
Emissions from planned pipeline will equal 7 million cars
The Energy East pipeline will lead to greenhouse gas emission increases equal to adding over seven million cars to Canada’s roads.
In August 2013, energy infrastructure company TransCanada announced its intention to build a $12 billion pipeline and export terminal project called Energy East. The proposed route would run from Hardisty, Alberta, to the Canaport crude terminal near Saint John, New Brunswick. The pipeline would have the capacity to transport 1.1 million barrels per day of crude oil, including oilsands and conventional crude production.
If it proceeds as proposed, Energy East would be a very significant new piece of oil transportation infrastructure. Indeed, Ontario’s Minister of Energy, Bob Chiarelli, called the proposal “certainly the most significant east-west energy transportation initiative in a generation” and “the largest pipeline project in Canada in over 50 years.”
> Read more at Ecosocialism Canada
> Executive Summary of Climate Implications of the Proposed Energy East Pipeline, published February 6, 2014, by the Pembina Institute. The full report can be downloaded here (pdf).
Opposition to the Alberta Clipper continues to grow
February 7, 2014
The opposition to the expansion of the Alberta Clipper transporting tar sands oil from Hardisty, Alberta to Superior, Wisconsin continues to grow.
http://www.canadians.org/blog/opposition-alberta-clipper-continues-grow
Toxic carcinogens from tar sands oil production underestimated - report — RT USA
Published: February 04, 2014
http://rt.com/usa/keystone-oil-emissions-carcinogens-650/
TransCanada's Export (B)East: a Climate Crime
We knew the climate impacts of TransCanada's Energy East pipe would be huge!
http://canadians.org/blog/transcanadas-export-beast-climate-crime
Irving Oil sees Saint John terminal as 'key export point'
Jeff Matthews, Irving Oil’s chief business development officer, said a $300-million marine terminal near Saint John would be a key export point for the western oil."
http://canadians.org/blog/irving-oil-sees-saint-john-terminal-key-export-point
Enbridge's Line 9 is Cracked All Over (Jan 27)
Enbridge’s Line 9 pipeline has thousands of “crack-like features” as the company euphemism goes. In the coming months, hundreds of sections of the pipe will be dug up for inspection in Ontario and Quebec in a massive sweep of Enbridge “integrity digs.” If Enbridge deems it necessary, these stretches of pipe will be repaired or replaced. But hundreds of other pipe sections, with thousands of defects known to the company, will be left in the ground untouched. Worse still, Enbridge is guided through this process by General Electric’s experimental “smart-pig” technology,which according to their own reports has consistently underestimated the severity of cracks along Line 9 while missing hundreds of them altogether.
An Enbridge spokesperson argued to the CBC, days after their Alberta Clipper pipeline spill, that this massive Line 9 inspection operation reflects the company’s “prudent” approach to pipeline safety. While this certainly sounds reassuring, the company’s digs are only targeting the very weakest portions of the line - of which there are apparently hundreds. According to Enbridge’s engineering assessment of Line 9, for a section of pipe to be excavated it must have cracks that are at least 50% as deep as the pipeline’s surprisingly thin carbon-steel walls - most of the pipe is 6.35mm thick.
“Frankly, with the number of integrity digs going on, landowners are wondering how poor the condition of Line 9 actually is,” John Goudy told the National Energy Board in a speech given on behalf of the Ontario Pipeline Landowners Association.
> Read more at Vice
Petition: Line 9 Environmental Assessment
Posted on Jonah Schein's (MPP Davenport) website:
Enbridge Canada Inc. is proposing to reverse the flow of the Line 9 pipeline in order to transport western oil through the most densely populated parts of Ontario. This oil will include tar sands crude, which is not currently part of the east to west flow.
Enbridge’s proposal includes increasing Line 9’s carrying capacity so it can transport more oil and the transport of significantly more corrosive, tar sands oil through the pipeline.
The proposal raises serious environmental and health concerns. Not only will this new oil pass under over a dozen cities and major rivers, but a spill would risk the health and drinking water of millions of Ontarians like us, and cause permanent damage to ecosystems.
The National Energy Board is hosting hearings on Line 9, but we need a more comprehensive review of the potential impacts Enbridge’s Line 9 project will have on our province.
The Ontario Ministry of the Environment has the mandate to require an Environmental Assessment of a project that it deems will have a significant impact on our environment. This Assessment allows the government to review the scope and nature of the environmental impacts of that project and consult the public on these impacts.
As so many of us stand to be affected by this project, there should be a public discussion about what we stand to gain or lose from the Line 9 proposal.
> Sign the petition to let the Ontario Minister of Environment know that you want the government to prioritize the health and environment of our province and require an Environmental Assessment of Line 9.
Council of Canadians joins Stakeholder Group for Ontario Energy Board Energy East Consultation
As far as I know, TransCanada’s proposed Energy East project is the biggest pipeline currently proposed in North America. It would carry a whopping 1.1 million barrels of crude (bpd) every day. Bigger then TransCanada’s controversial Keystone XL pipeline at 830,000 bpd, Trans Mountain pipeline expansion up to 890 000 bpd and Enbridge’s Northern Gateway at 525 000 bpd.
http://canadians.org/blog/council-canadians-joins-stakeholder-group-ontario-energy-board-energy-east-consultation
Help Neil Young and the ACFN Draw a Line in the Sand
Campaign Update: We are so honoured that almost 1,400 donors have supported our cause and we hit our initial goal! Your continued support means we can launch another suit against the other major tar sands mine planned for our territory.
The Athabasca Chipewyan First Nations and other communities live at the front lines of the largest industrial project on earth. Much of ACFN’s traditional territories are home to tar sands rich deposits eyed by industry for exploitation.
Tar sands extraction methods cause large scale and irreversible harm to our health, land, water, wildlife, and the global climate system that supports all life. Canadian and Albertan environmental protection laws have been greatly eroded in recent years, and what laws do exist are rarely if ever followed, or law-breakers penalized.
Despite these and other well documented problems, industry and government plan to triple tar sands production, and won’t even stop there.
The last remaining stronghold for challenging this mad rush lies within the rights and title held by First Nations peoples.
The ACFN are actively engaged in a multi-prong legal strategy to challenge public policy, individual tar sands projects and inadequate environmental protection in Alberta's Athabasca tar sands region.
We have drawn a line in the sand, but we need help to hold the government accountable in the courts of law.
Neil Young has visited our territory and seen the impacts of the tar sands first hand. That is why he has partnered with us to raise money for our legal challenge of tar sands expansion and environmental destruction.
In the “Honor the Treaty” concert series this January, Neil Young and Diana Krall will perform live in Toronto, Winnipeg, Regina, and Calgary. 100% of all proceeds will go to ACFN.
If you weren’t able to purchase tickets to the shows, or want to support our fight from where you live, you can still be part of this historic moment and create a lasting legacy for the ACFN and all future generations by helping fund our legal efforts.
> Read more at Honour the ACFN
First-Ever Footage of Aging Tar Sands Pipelines Beneath Great Lakes
This past July, National Wildlife Federation (NWF) conducted a diving expedition to obtain footage of aging oil pipelines strung across one of the most sensitive locations in the Great Lakes, and possibly the world: the Straits of Mackinac. Footage of these pipelines has never been released to the public until now.
The Straits of Mackinac pipelines, owned by Enbridge Energy, are 60-years-old and considered one of the greatest threats to the Great Lakes because of their age, location and the hazardous products they transport - including tar sands derived oil.
> Read more at EcoWatch
Rail versus pipeline is the wrong question (Jan 23)
Debating the best way to do something we shouldn't be doing in the first place is a sure way to end up in the wrong place. That's what's happening with the "rail versus pipeline" discussion. Some say recent rail accidents mean we should build more pipelines to transport fossil fuels. Others argue that leaks, high construction costs, opposition and red tape surrounding pipelines are arguments in favour of using trains.
But the recent spate of rail accidents and pipeline leaks and spills doesn't provide arguments for one or the other; instead, it indicates that rapidly increasing oil and gas development and shipping ever greater amounts, by any method, will mean more accidents, spills, environmental damage — even death. The answer is to step back from this reckless plunder and consider ways to reduce our fossil fuel use.
> Read more at David Suzuki
Stop Line 9 Toolkit
Some of you have asked for more information on how to talk about Line 9 with your family, friends & neighbours. There's a great Toolkit of Line 9 materials. Lots of information (fact sheets, presentations, maps and reports) perfect for helping you raise awareness on this issue.
> Stop Line 9 Toronto toolkit