Environment

"Alberta’s reputation is on the line. With government and industry touting the benefits of trans-boundary pipelines, multinational environmental groups counter that weak environmental standards and dirty oilsands are a major culprit in climate change. Flying under the radar amid this highly publicized debate is that 64 per cent of Alberta’s electricity supply comes from coal."

"'Water is sacred.' Those are the words that filled a rain-dampened rally that saw demonstrators make their way from Canada Place in downtown Edmonton to the Alberta Legislature on May 24. 'Our treaty says we have a right to water. We have to protect that,' said Shannon Houle, addressing about 150 people on the steps of the Legislature. Houle, from Saddle Lake Cree Nation and a co-founder of the Idle No More movement, raised her voice along with such organizations as Keepers of the Athabasca, Public Interest Alberta and Council of Canadians to warn Albertans about what the groups view as the provincial government’s plans to push through legislation that would see water become a commodity and sold through licences."

"As Progressive Conservatives from across Alberta talked policy inside a south Edmonton hotel Saturday, Tim Kabarchuk willingly faced off outside against a large, inflatable mallet. As one of about 500 protesters who came to the “Block the Party” event organized by Public Interest Alberta, the Alberta Union of Provincial Employee and other groups, Kabarchuk volunteered for a human version of Whack-A-Mole under a painted Whack-A-Broken Promise banner."

"Energy Minister Ken Hughes stands behind his appointment of former oil executive Gerry Protti to run the province's new energy regulator, despite growing opposition from more than 30 landowner groups, First Nations and environmentalists."

"The Council of Canadians has joined with more than 30 landowner, labour, environmental and First Nation groups to call on Alberta Premier Alison Redford to remove Gerry Protti, founding President of the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers and former Encana executive, as the chair of the province's new energy regulator. The groups are hoping Protti will be asked to step down and that public consultation take place to address concerns about Alberta's move to a single regulator model."

"Dear Premier Redford: As a major fossil fuel producer and one of the world’s wealthiest economies, Alberta bears responsibility in the fight against climate change. If Alberta doesn’t face the challenge, who will? Despite your rhetoric, the world is not on course to preserve a stable climate for our children. Fulfilling the modest commitments made in Copenhagen gives us just a 6 percent chance of staying below the crucial 2˚C threshold and more than a one in three chance of the planet warming more than 4˚C. That puts earth on track for climate change that the President of the World Bank has warned would be 'devastating' and 'risks putting prosperity out of reach for millions of people in the developing world.'"

EDMONTON—Public Interest Alberta has selected the Global Café at Jasper Place High School to receive this year’s Public Interest Award for Northern Alberta.

By Josh Marcellin, Vue WeeklyIf corporations are people, as some would say, then they're not the kind of people you'd want to fight; a corporation is big, faceless and prohibitively powerful.

EDMONTON—Public Interest Alberta has selected Evelyn Schuler from Medicine Hat to receive this year’s Public Interest Award for Southern Alberta.

Please join us for a celebration of the achievements of two phenomenal advocates.The award ceremonies will take place on April 10th and 12th as part of PIA’s 7th annual advocacy conference. We hope to see you there.