Environment

Environment


Environmental groups criticize Albania for delay in probing suspected toxic waste

TIRANA, Albania (AP) — Environmental groups on Tuesday criticized Albania’s silence and lack of progress in analyzing 102 containers suspected of carrying a large amount of hazardous waste. Albanian prosecutors have put the containers in Porto Romano, 6 kilometers (4 miles) from Durres port, saying they would ask government institutions to conduct lab tests. The […]

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City taking hands off approach to clear dangers at former GM site in St. Catharines

Many of the toxic risks posed by the former GM site on Ontario Street in St. Catharines are clear.  As previously reported by The Pointer, Environmental Site Assessments obtained after a two-year fight with the City and GM officials who fought to keep the documents hidden from public view, revealed contamination of a number of […]

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Former GM site in St. Catharines a lasting reminder of environmental damage from heavy industry

When Melinda Lortie became a mother, her perspective on much of her surrounding world shifted.  “Motherhood really has made me mad at the world. I love my daughter more than anything in this world, there truly is nothing else that tops her importance to me. I love every part of being a mom. My anger […]

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St. Catharines officials mislead public after protecting GM’s reputation—concealed documents that show alarming levels of toxic chemicals

Twenty-two days after being compelled by Ontario’s Information and Privacy Commissioner to release environmental reports related to the former General Motors site in the core of the city, St. Catharines officials addressed the matter publicly, admitting they have had the disturbing reports that show dangerous contaminants at levels thousands of times above set limits, since […]

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B.C.-based climate activist deported to Pakistan after protest charges

British Columbia-based environmental activist Zain Haq was aboard a plane in Toronto on Sunday afternoon, awaiting a nearly 14-hour flight to Pakistan, where he said he was looking forward to seeing his family and eating the food. But Haq was not on the plane by choice. He was being deported following the expiry of a […]

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Indigenous climate advocates say tailings spills study confirms what they already know

(ANNews) – A recently released scientific study on the Alberta Energy Regulator’s (AER) poor monitoring of tailings spills merely confirms what Indigenous people have long known to be true, says the executive director of Indigenous Climate Action (ICA).  Sherwood Park-based geologist Kevin Timoney’s report, published in the peer-reviewed Environmental Monitoring and Assessment journal on Jan. […]

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Concerns raised over proposed water taking application at Puslinch quarry

PUSLINCH – A flood of concerns has been raised about a longstanding gravel quarry’s application for a new water-taking permit and its potential impact on surrounding water sources and local drinking water.  Foremost, the effect the water taking could have on neighbouring private and municipal wells. The township is a commenting agency on the application. […]

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Size, number of tailings spills underreported by AER, study says

The size, number, and environmental impact of oilsands tailings spills have been significantly underreported, according to new research. A study published in the Journal of Environmental Monitoring and Assessment compares information on reported bitumen tailings spills from the Alberta Energy Regulator’s (AER) public database with documents from the AER released through freedom of information requests. […]

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Twelve Mile Creek, a vector of toxins next to former GM site in St. Catharines

Three weeks have passed since the release of the environmental site assessments (ESAs) for the former GM site on Ontario Street, and the task of fully understanding the implications of the report’s findings is far from complete. After more than two years of resisting disclosure, the City of St. Catharines was ordered by the provincial […]

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Alberta Energy Regulator lacks evidence for tailings spill cleanup claims: study

A new analysis of a decade’s worth of data kept by Alberta’s oil and gas regulator suggests the agency has made unsubstantiated claims about the success of oilsands tailings spills cleanup. “Their own data, their … internal data are not being reflected in the … information that they’re releasing to the public,” the study’s author, […]

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New Year begins with bang in western New Brunswick

There’s still no answer as to why the new year kicked off with a bang for numerous residents of Woodstock, N.B. and surrounding communities. In the mid-afternoon on Jan. 1, several residents from Millville to Florenceville-Bristol jumped on social media to report the sound of a bang and a tremor rattling their homes on New […]

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Labradorians pay thousands to fly to Newfoundland. Could a Quebec energy deal help?

An airport executive in Labrador hopes a new energy deal with Quebec could help attract a competing airline company to the northern region, where flights costs have climbed at more than three times the national rate. But even if another airline company is enticed to operate in Labrador, Rex Goudie, the Goose Bay Airport Corporation’s […]

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