Favourite line bolded above. If you go out there on HWY 63 today, you'll see hundreds of the scarecrows in bright orange outfits, and at night, when all seems quiet, you'll hear gunshots going off in the distance, continuously (the air cannons). They've stepped up the protections but obviously it's too late, and obviously an ass-covering move.Senior Syncrude officials couldn't tell federal and provincial investigators why resources for the company's waterfowl protection plan declined in the years prior to the 2008, when more than 1,600 ducks died on a tailings pond.
Court documents show Alberta Environment investigator Sean Harris raised the issue with Syncrude managers a month after the ducks died, asking why the number of scare cannons being deployed to deter waterfowl dropped from 150 in 2001 to 67 in 2007. He also noted the number of deployed effigies or scarecrows dropped from 100 in 2001 to 27 in 2007.
But Syncrude's environmental affairs manager, Steve Gaudet, who was attending an environmental conference in Banff on April 28, 2008, the day the ducks died, said his department wasn't responsible for training the company's bird and ecology team (BET) or for providing its budget.
He directed investigators to talk to the head of the Mildred Lake mining department.
Mildred Lake production operations supervisor Gary Bourque expressed surprise at the reductions of bird deterrents when questioned by investigators later the same day.
"I'd be shocked if that's the number of cannons that we had out and the number of rafts that we had out last year compared to the previous year," he told investigators. "You know, we haven't purposely decreased what we've put into the BET program. That has never been an intention."
Syncrude has been defending itself against federal and provincial charges stemming from the duck deaths for the past two months in a St. Albert courtroom.
The Journal reported Wednesday, using statements Syncrude employees made to investigators, that the company's late-starting bird and ecology team was understaffed and ill-equipped to get deterrents in place before spring migration to prevent birds from landing on the pond.
Seasonal Syncrude employees told investigators they started about two weeks later than usual, had difficulty getting on-site due to a human resources glitch and were provided with only one truck to deploy noise-making cannons around the 12-square-kilometre settling basin.
Syncrude fought unsuccessfully to keep the statements from being entered as exhibits, then argued the public and media had no right to see them because it violated their employees' privacy.
But the Journal won the right to publish the documents and has posted the entire transcripts of interviews investigators conducted with several Syncrude employees at edmontonjournal.com.
Syncrude President Tom Katinas complained Thursday that the oilsands giant is being "tried in the court of public opinion" and said the newspaper is publishing statements "out of context."
"I really worry about when they start trying to take employees and try to make them look bad in the public eye," he told reporters.
"We have one employee they basically tried to call incompetent because he doesn't have an engineering degree, but I knew that employee personally. He is deceased. He died of cancer. He is unable to defend himself, but I will defend him."
Although he didn't mention the employee by name, Katinas appeared to be referring to bird and ecology team leader Dave Matthews, who died last summer.
NDP critic Rachel Notley said the employee statements released Wednesday show the government's system of allowing industry to police itself isn't working.
"The evidence that has been presented at the Syncrude trial paints a picture of a company that had allowed a number of systemic flaws and shortfalls to creep into a well-intentioned program," Notley said in a Journal web chat Thursday.
"It seems to me that this is a perfect example of why we cannot allow industry to police itself when it comes to measuring the quality of their compliance efforts."
dhenton@thejournal.canwest.com
Stelmach says he'll 'force' end to tailings ponds
This is a good move by the Premier, it'll keep him in his seat for a while longer at least. And, you know, eliminates those fucking tailing ponds.EDMONTON — Oilsands companies will have to eliminate tailings ponds within "a few years" because they are a blight on Alberta's international image, Premier Ed Stelmach said Thursday. The toxic tailings ponds are the focus of criticism from environmental groups and international media, and it's time oilsands producers operating open pit mines expedite plans to either move to dry tailings or eliminate the ponds, he said. "It means we're going to have to force -- when I say force, we're going to get more aggressive -- and work with companies presently in open pit mining to move to either dry tailings or develop that resource without wet tailings ponds," Stelmach said "It's going to take an investment, there's no doubt about it. But we just can't talk about it. We want to show progress. That's what people see." Pressed to give a specific timeline for eliminating the tailings ponds, which cover about 130 square kilometres in northern Alberta, Stelmach said he expects the date is only a few years away. Oilsands mining companies were issued a new directive last year the Energy Resources Conservation Board to clean up ponds and submit plans for how they will do it. But there's been no deadline for completely eliminating wet ponds or moving to dry tailings, according to the ERCB. Don Thompson, president of the Oil Sands Developers Group, an industry lobby organization, said companies are working to comply with the ERCB directive, but was hesitant to say whether it can be achieved within the premier's timeline of a few years. "That requires new technology to be implemented and that requires time," Thompson said. "Companies will move as expeditiously as they can to comply with those regulations." Stelmach also said the provincial government will do everything possible to make sure Avatar director James Cameron knows he's welcome to see Alberta's oilsands first-hand. "We're going to write to him, send him an e-mail, Twitter him, whatever we can do," Stelmach said. "It seems like he was led to a particular conclusion. He also said he'd like to know more. So here's an opportunity. Travel, have a look, visit, take a canoe trip down the Athabasca (River). ... See for yourself." Earlier this week, Cameron called Alberta's oilsands development a "black eye" on Canada's environmental record. Stelmach acknowledged a tour may not change Cameron's mind. During an Earth Day web chat with Journal readers Thursday, Environment Minister Rob Renner said he hadn't yet received a response from the director to his invitation. "James Cameron asked for more information and we'll provide that information any way he likes," Renner said. "But he hasn't called."Premier Ed Stelmach said Thursday the government will do everything it can to make sure Avatar director James Cameron knows he’s welcome to see Alberta’s oilsands first-hand.
"We're going to write to him, send him an e-mail, Twitter him, whatever we can do," Stelmach said.
“It seems like he was led to a particular conclusion. He also said he’d like to know more. So here’s an opportunity. Travel, have a look, visit, take a canoe trip down the Athabasca.... See for yourself.”
Earlier this week, Cameron — who was born in Canada — called Alberta’s oilsands development a “black eye” on Canada’s environmental record.
While Alberta Energy Minister Ron Liepert said he didn’t care what the Hollywood director had to offer, Environment Minister Rob Renner encouraged Cameron to see the oilsands development in northern Alberta, both on the ground and from the air.
“I know that this garners a lot of attention, and our environment minister said, ‘Come on down,’” Stelmach said Thursday.
He acknowledged a tour of northern Alberta’s oilsands production may not change Cameron’s mind. However, Stelmach said, Cameron could see what land has been reclaimed and how the government handles environmental monitoring.
Various media reported Cameron called Alberta’s oilsands industry the “wrong solution,” and promoted more use of wind power and alternative energy sources.
“He, unfortunately for us, was led to a conclusion without all of the information being presented,” Stelmach said Thursday. “But obviously he said he wants to learn more about the oilsands development, and we would certainly be happy to provide him with that additional information.”
Cameron’s blockbuster movie Avatar is set in the future, and it is the tale of a planet called Pandora being plundered for “unobtanium” by a multinational corporation. The unobtanium hunt puts Pandora’s indigenous people at risk.
Cameron was also the director of hit movies Titanic and The Terminator.
Renner said Thursday Cameron hasn’t yet called the provincial government to get his oilsands tour.
PS Ron Liepert? He's a fucking idiot who doesn't know how to communicate to anyone. This is the guy who used to be Health Minister and didn't bother explaining how or why the various health boards around the province were going to be merged into one province-wide board, despite the best of intentions. It ended up being left to his replacement, my MLA, to explain to the public and the media why it's a good idea (and it's turning out to be a pretty good move). You'd think the dumbass would know to open his mouth less, being a prominent minister and all...
And the icing on the cake, for me:
Malcolm Mayes:
