10 years after Walkerton
Ten years after the Walkerton water disaster, it’s worth remembering how badly the Mike Harris government handled it. It was bad enough that their rushed and sloppy withdrawal of the provincial laboratory service allowed the contamination to be hidden for days. It was worse that munici…
Continue reading the post titled 10 years after WalkertonFirst Nations, Métis and Renewable Energy
First Nations are playing an ever-expanding role in the siting of new renewable energy projects. Now, the new Aboriginal Energy Partnership Program (AEPP)[1] will help First Nations and Métis communities to develop and own renewable energy projects.[2] Funding applications are already being …
Continue reading the post titled First Nations, Métis and Renewable EnergyElectricity conservation getting serious
Ontario’s landmark Green Energy Act (GEA) was passed a year ago, on May 14, 2009, to bring us major changes in energy conservation and renewable energy. Big subsidies have ramped up renewable energy generation, through the Feed-In Tariff (FIT) and microFIT programs. Now it’s time for energy …
Continue reading the post titled Electricity conservation getting seriousCan garbage give us gas?
Energy from waste was anathema to Ontario regulators twenty years ago, but now they have changed their mind, due to better technology, a critical shortage of landfill space and strong demand for renewable sources of energy. One increasingly popular way is through biogas. Instead of burning t…
Continue reading the post titled Can garbage give us gas?Better Ontario toilets
Conserve water: us? Ontario residents and businesses have never worried much about conserving water; as a result, we are among the world’s most wasteful water users: a drowning 260 litres per person per day. Calls for voluntary conservation have had little effect. Now, water conservation rul…
Continue reading the post titled Better Ontario toiletsPCBs in fish
PCBs in your fish dinner? Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) were used for decades in industry and to make electrical equipment like transformers and capacitors.[i] They are slow to break down and hard to destroy. PCB are known carcinogens and have been linked to adverse reproductive, immune, …
Continue reading the post titled PCBs in fishCuts to Renewable Subsidies
Reports say that Spain is slashing the prices it pays for renewable energy, as part of an aggressive response to its debt crisis. Spanish bonds were downgraded this week, and today it announced that unemployment has risen above 20%. Spain already has the third highest deficit in the EU, afte…
Continue reading the post titled Cuts to Renewable SubsidiesCan we still eat fish?
Can a responsible person still eat fish?
Continue reading the post titled Can we still eat fish?Wind energy protest planned
Anti-wind protesters will be massing at Queens Park next week, to protest against the Green Energy Act and its expedited approvals for wind energy projects. Meanwhile, government staffers are moving ahead with wind energy approvals. The Approvals Branch is working hard to process wind ener…
Continue reading the post titled Wind energy protest plannedHappy Earth Day!
Today is the 40th anniversary of the original Earth Day. Unfortunately, I am far too engaged in trial preparation to write a thoughtful evaluation of the last 40 years, other than the obvious: we have accomplished something useful, but not nearly enough. And to express kudos to Environment M…
Continue reading the post titled Happy Earth Day!