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Environmental Déjà vu

Determined environmentalists are working to halt construction near James Bay over a massive project's potential impacts on the area's environment, wildlife and First Nation's communities. Hmm, haven't we been down that James Bay Road before? But this time it's not hydro development in northern Quebec, but diamond mining in northern Ontario.

The De Beer's diamond conglomerate has received approval from the federal government to proceed with the $982 million Victor Diamond Project near Attawapiskat, Ont. The Canadian Parks and Wildlife Society Wildlands League are spearheading a campaign to stall the project under the Ontario provincial government's Environmental Bill of Rights for further review of the project's land-use planning. They are looking to protect the intact wilderness area and First Nation's communities, who have been untouched by industrial development, from a mining project that has a life span of 15 years or less. Is the government being shortsighted in allowing a short-term project to permanently impact a previously untouched area? Are they doomed to repeat many of the same mistakes made over decades of controversy with Hydro Quebec's James Bay Project? Or, will this project have a different ending with benefits to all involved? Tell us what you think.

To learn more, go to:
http://www.cpaws.org/boreal/english/getinvolved/action-ontario-main.html

NAME	COMMENTS
Don E. Gordon Submitted: Sunday, December 18, 2005	Environmental assessments get started after projects are on their way in Alberta. In Alberta, the environmental policy states that only those who are affected by development may voice their concerns, instead of any Albertan. In Alberta, the provincial government can supercede any local government in granting a permit to build factory farms, even though communities may not want one. In Alberta there were no disaster plans in place for oil spills that deal with response time(Wabamum Lake). Alberta has cheap stumpage fees in logging that does not take into effect the total value of the forest worth, even the worth of the carbon sink to earth health which the oil industry may use in Canada's contibution to CO2 balance. Logging companies spray Roundup in forest management in Alberta even though this practice can be have disastrous effects to rare plants.
Steve Russell Submitted: Wednesday, November 30, 2005	With that kind of money De Beer's can make a presentation that would convince one to sign away rights that do not belong to them. I have seen too often the money that goes into someone's pocket while the quality of construction, material and labour goes into the sewer.