June 18th is International Stop the Tar Sands Day. On this day people around the world will be holding demonstrations outside Canadian Embassies to protest this environmental disaster.
“Northern Alberta’s tar sands are home to an estimated 173 billion barrels of recoverable bitumen, a tar-like substance that requires intensive processing to become synthetic crude oil. There are serious social, environmental and economic consequences of tar sands development which prompts the question, boom for whom? Indigenous peoples rights are being overlooked, there are dramatic environmental impacts, water is being wasted and contaminated and market interests are being put ahead of Canadian interests. The Council of Canadians continues to support the demand for no new approvals of tar sands developments and expansions as a first step to reducing further destruction. Faced with a market-based moratorium caused by dropping oil prices, there is an opportunity now to address the market-oriented energy gold rush in the tar sands and plan for more sustainable energy production and consumption. We need a Canadian Energy Strategy that puts the interests of people and the environment first based on the principles of energy security and ecological sustainability.”
From the Council of Candians National Office. (link currently unavailable)
As a forerunner to International Stop the Tar Sands Day the Council of Canadians – Winnipeg Chapter is hosting two screenings of David Lavallee’s film White Water, Black Gold. “The film follows an imaginary drop of water, and later an imaginary drop of oil, unveiling the threats the tar sands pose to the third largest watershed in the world and two separate oceans. White Water, Black Gold is a film about the inextricable link between water and oil in our modern world.”
Two screenings will be held. The first is on June 16th at 7:00 pm at the Unitarian Church located at 603 Wellington Crescent. The second screening will be on June 17th at 7:00 pm at Sam’s Place Café located at 159 Henderson Highway.
More details are available on our calendar. (link currently unavailable)
June 18th marks the 30th anniversary of the annual Winnipeg Walk for Peace. This year’s walk will also include a Peace Festival at Winnipeg’s Vimy Ridge Park before and after the walk. This will be a day long affair, with food, entertainment and activities for the whole family. Check Peace Alliance Winnnipeg website for more details.
As this year’s Walk for Peace happens to fall on International Stop the Tar Sands Day the local chapter of the Council of Canadians will be doing double duty, walking for peace and sharing Tar Sands information. Keep an eye out for our big yellow banner, come over say hi and get the ‘dirt’ on oil!
Canada and the European Union are negotiating a new Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) which they hope to sign by the end of this year. But it would be more accurate to call it a privatization and deregulation pact. The deal, if signed, could allow tar sands oil imports into Europe and give dramatic new powers to Europe’s multinational oil companies. It could trample over Indigenous rights and undermine a range of social and environmental legislation on both sides of the Atlantic. Under CETA, large multinational corporations could take over delivery of vital public services – like water and waste disposal – whether local governments like it or not. Local governments who choose to “buy local” or to exclude for-profit European corporations from bidding on public service contracts could have their right to do so overruled by an unaccountable trade tribunal for violating CETA. CETA is also a major threat to farmers and food security, putting at risk the right to save and re-use seeds and challenging farm support programs for Canadian farmers.
Council of Canadians chairperson Maude Barlow and CUPE president Paul Moist will be speaking in cities across the country highlighting the dangers of this proposed deal and to say that Canadian communities are not for sale. Come learn more about the threat CETA poses to Canadian communities and how you can get involved in stopping it in Winnipeg on Monday, June 27th.
For more details please check our calendar. (link currently unavailable)