Approval of Jasper Development Ignores Public Outcry

Over the objections of almost 200,000 citizens, the federal government has approved the proposed “Brewster Glacier Discovery Walk” in Jasper National Park. Conservation organizations fear that the beauty and integrity of Jasper National Park are being surrendered to commercial interests, opening the door for more for-profit businesses to capitalize on the splendour of Canada’s most loved and protected landscapes. Read more »

Posted February 9, 2012 by AEN

Pembina reacts to new joint oilsands monitoring plan

EDMONTON — Jennifer Grant, director of the Pembina Institute’s oilsands program, made the following statement in response to the new joint Canada-Alberta implementation plan for oilsands monitoring: Read more »

Posted February 3, 2012 by AEN

Beyond Monitoring— Responsible Management Needed for Oilsands Environmental Impacts

Today, forty five years after the first tar sands mines started, the federal government has finally taken steps to introduce credible monitoring for contaminants and habitat degradation from oilsands development. Alberta Wilderness Association believes that long-overdue monitoring of Alberta’s oilsands impacts is a step in the right direction, but monitoring itself will not fix any of the issues which have so bedeviled the industry for the past few years. Read more »

Posted February 3, 2012 by AEN

History being made in Alberta: Picket-line prevents clear-cutting in Castle protected area for 16th day

Beaver Mines: Located on the way to Castle Mountain Resort in the Castle Special Management Area of southwest Alberta, locals, businesses and outdoor enthusiasts will be counter posting the site today with the Alberta Government's decision and map designating the area as a Special Place protected area. (Document attached or is on government webstite http://alberta.ca/home/NewsFrame.cfm?ReleaseID=/acn/199803/5992.html , except for the original map with the decision.) It's no Read more »

Posted January 27, 2012 by AEN

Will Alison Redford's Clearcuts Crush Bear Cubs in their Dens?

Conservationists today called upon Alberta premier Alison Redford to halt plans for winter logging would disturb, displace or even kill bears denning in the Castle Special Management Area.

“Logging in winter threatens Alberta’s bears at the worst possible time,” said WildCanada’s Jim Pissot, “when adults and cubs are asleep in their dens.”   Read more »

Posted January 25, 2012 by AEN

History being made in Alberta as for 14th day, picket-line & outfitting camp keep clear-cutting out of protected area

BEAVER MINES: A rotating picket-line maintained by outdoor enthusiasts and near-by residents, and an outfitting camp set up by a second generation outfitter are making history in Alberta as for the 14th day now, they continue to hold back Alberta's Sustainable Resource Development Department (SRD) and a sawmill located outside the region from starting clear-cuting in Castle Special Management Area; a popular protected area in southwest Alberta.  Determined by a government hearing panel in 1993 to be an integral part of the health of the international Crown of Read more »

Posted January 25, 2012 by AEN

Environment groups ask Federal Court to force minister’s hand on caribou protection

EDMONTON — Environment Minister Peter Kent’s failure to reconsider emergency protection for woodland caribou in northeastern Alberta has prompted environmental groups to ask for the Federal Court’s help.

Six months ago, the Court called Minister Kent’s decision not to recommend emergency protection for woodland caribou “out of the blue,” and ruled that it ignored scientific evidence and must be set aside. The Minister was instructed to reconsider the government’s position, but has yet to show any signs of activity on the file.

Ecojustice, on behalf of the Pembina Institute and Alberta Wilderness Association, has asked the Court to amend its ruling to include a deadline to force a response from the Minister. Read more »

Posted January 25, 2012 by AEN