Do you support Ottawa's overhaul of the environmental review

[styky]

Do you support Ottawa's overhaul of the environmental review process?

April 17, 2012 1:13 PM
The federal government has announced wide-sweeping and controversial changes to the environmental review process.

Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver said Tuesday the overhaul will improve what he called a "duplicative, cumbersome and uncertain" assessment process. In the stripped-down process, the government will:.................http://www.cbc.ca/news/yourcommunity/20 ... ocess.html


snip poll results so far.....

Yes. 26.09% (12 votes)

No. 73.91% (34 votes)

I'm not sure. 0% (0 votes)

Other. (Specify below) 0% (0 votes)


Total Votes: 46

[RedDog]

The very wording says "Alberta money grab" to me. *sigh*

[Faramir]

We have this damn nonsense over the pipeline that is to be routed to Prince Rupert than has gone on for months. Time to be a country proud of its resource tradition that trusts the businesses that go in to process these resources.

I would also like to see the Federal Government get out of the business of the provinces. Why do we need a Federal review process AND a provincial process? Why do we have Federal tourism departments and Provincial tourism departments? How about just leave the tourism business to the provinces? Do we really need Forestry research departments at the Fed level - can't that all be shifted over to the provinces? I just find all this overlap mindboggling.

[styky]

Environmental charities 'laundering' foreign funds, Kent says
Environment minister says money used to improperly obstruct assessment process
CBC News
Posted: May 1, 2012 11:04 PM ET
Last Updated: May 2, 2012 1:33 AM ET
Some charitable environmental groups in Canada are "laundering" funds from offshore donors to obstruct Canada's environmental assessment process, Environment Minister Peter Kent says.

Kent made the comment Tuesday in a wide-ranging interview on CBC's Power & Politics when asked by host Evan Solomon to clarify a comment he made earlier on CBC Radio's The House.

In The House interview that aired Saturday, Kent said the government has been concerned charitable agencies have been used "to launder offshore foreign funds for inappropriate use against Canadian interest."

Kent stood by that characterization on Power & Politics Tuesday.

"Essentially what our government is doing through the finance committee is investigating allegations that offshore funds have improperly been funnelled through — laundered if you will, that's a fairly accurate word — through Canadian organizations that have charitable status to be used in ways that would be improper given that charitable status," Kent told Solomon Tuesday.

Pressed whether the use of the word "laundering" suggests criminal activity, Kent said: "There are allegations — and we have very strong suspicions — that some funds have come into the country improperly to obstruct, not to assist, in the environmental assessment process," Kent said.

The environmental review process is intended to determine whether a project poses adverse environment effects and whether those effects can be mitigated..........................http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2 ... ering.html

[styky]

Green charity attack ads won't rattle government's plans: Minister

By Daniel Proussalidis ,Parliamentary Bureau

First posted: Monday, May 07, 2012 06:42 PM EDT | Updated: Monday, May 07, 2012 06:47 PM EDT
OTTAWA - Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver is hitting back at environmental activists and opposition politicians who call the March federal budget "anti-environment."

"Opposition parties and certain environmental groups today again came out against jobs, growth, and economic prosperity," said Oliver, in defending the sweeping changes announced in the recent budget. Those include speeding up regulatory reviews for major resource projects and only allowing foreign charitable donations to go toward disaster-relief, humanitarian aid, or "activities in the national interests of Canada."

Environmental activists, including Greenpeace and the David Suzuki Foundation, have launched an expensive print and online attack ads aimed at the Tory plans.

"Proposed changes to Canadian law will weaken environment rules and silence the voices of those who seek to defend them," says one online ad.

Green Party Leader Elizabeth May says she fears the undefined term "national interests" will give the minister the power to cut funding from foreign sources - mostly billionaire American foundations - going to environmental charities.

The Conservatives have slammed foreign foundations for the millions of dollars they've dumped on Canadian groups to oppose the oilsands.

Environment Minister Peter Kent has even suggested some groups have "laundered" the money, but Oliver shied away from that language.

"I haven't used that term and I don't believe people are being accused of criminal activity," said Oliver.

Meanwhile, the minister is defending the fact the plans are part of the federal budget bill, saying they will be passed into law faster that way.

"What we want to do is get on with an extremely important piece of legislation," said Oliver.

He promises that a special finance sub-committee will examine the proposals before they are made law.
http://www.torontosun.com/2012/05/07/gr ... s-minister

[Edward Kennedy]

Many enviro whacko groups worldwide are lefturd fronts...

[RedDog]

The vast majority of CBC voter types will reside in areas where they both benefit tremendously from resource revenue while they slag the very resource, but also have a relatively inexpensive and limitless supply. Oil below $100/bbl again. The talk of $150. - $180. for the summer is fading fast.

[Brown envelope]

YES, it's about time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZ-4gnNz0vc

[Edward Kennedy]

MOST, but not all enviro people are the useful idiots of the lefturd socialists and enemies of freedom and justice...

[styky]

Budget bill will give ministers more control over environmental assessments
SHAWN McCARTHY AND GLOBAL ENERGY REPORTER
OTTAWA
Posted on Wednesday, May 9, 2012 7:35PM EDT

The Harper government is giving a wide range of new powers to cabinet ministers to decide the scope of environmental assessments, as it proceeds with an omnibus budget bill that overhauls the way Ottawa will review major resource projects.

Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver has promoted the legislative changes as providing greater certainty to investors keen to develop Canada’s vast resources. But in some major ways, the government will make the system more opaque and subject to ministerial discretion.

The March budget and resulting legislation is as much about speeding up decision-making on resource projects like oil sands pipelines and new mines across the country, as it is about government finances........................http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/pol ... nt=2428091