Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society

Edmonton — CPAWS welcomes the announcement by Teck Resources Limited CEO, Don Lindsay, that the company has withdrawn their application for the Frontier oil sands mine.  In Teck’s letter to the Minister of the Environment and Climate Change, Don Lindsay cites the need to address policy frameworks for tackling climate change and expresses urgent need to reduce global carbon emissions through carbon pricing and legislated caps for oil sands emissions. Read More

Calgary – Brad Clute, a lifelong Albertan and nationally known environmental leader, has been appointed Executive Director of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, Southern Alberta Chapter, the Board of Directors announced today.

Clute joins CPAWS-SAB after a long and successful career with Mountain Equipment Coop and two decades of activity in the environmental community. He was Regional Community Investment Specialist, Western Canada, for MEC for seven years and most recently Regional Human Resources Business Manager. Read More

EDMONTON – A Joint Review Panel recommends approval of Teck’s Frontier Oil Sands Mine project, despite acknowledgments of a long list of adverse environmental impacts, including high risks to wildlife that use the area 

In the same month that the UN warns Canada of swift action required to stop the degradation of Wood Buffalo National Park, a massive 290 sq-km open-pit oil sands mine project has been recommended for approval, which would place it just 30-km south of the Park’s borders. The project would be the largest of its kind in Alberta. The provincial-federal Joint Review Panel found the project to be in the public’s interest, despite the findings that it,

[…] is likely to result in significant adverse environmental effects to wetlands, old-growth forests, wetland- and old-growth-reliant species at risk, the Ronald Lake bison herd, and biodiversity.” And “likely to result in significant adverse effects to the asserted rights, use of lands and resources, and culture of indigenous groups who use the project area. The proposed mitigation measures have not been proven to be effective or to fully mitigate project effects on the environment or on indigenous rights, use of lands and resources, and culture.” Read More