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Environment gets some respect |
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Written by Lethbridge Herald
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Tuesday, August 11 2009, 9:32 PM |
It would appear the environment in northeastern Alberta is becoming less of a second-class citizen.
After years of taking a back seat to oilsands development, the ecosystem in that part of the province is finally getting some respect thanks to the Alberta government’s announcement last week of plans to more than triple the amount of protected land in the region.
The province has directed the Lower Athabasca Regional Advisory Council to devise a plan to protect at least 20 per cent of the region east of Edmonton from the Bonnyville area north to the Northwest Territories. At present, only about six per cent of the Lower Athabasca region’s old-growth boreal forest and muskeg are protected.
The move to safeguard some of the province’s sensitive environment is a refreshing change from an Alberta government with a reputation as one willing to sacrifice wilderness for the sake of revenue. And the area certainly produces plenty of cold, hard cash. The Lower Athabasca contains the vast majority of Alberta’s proven oilsands reserves and oilsands developments while also generating big bucks from the forestry industry.
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Aquifer issue needs attention |
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Written by Lethbridge Herald
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Monday, August 10 2009, 8:52 PM |
Out of sight, out of mind, it seems.
That appears to be the case with Canada’s groundwater supply.
A document made public last week by The Canadian Press under the Access to Information Act suggests the federal government is dragging its heels on mapping the country’s stores of groundwater. The briefing note prepared for Natural Resources Minister Lisa Raitt suggests Canada’s slowness in that area hinders the government’s ability to make policy decisions with respect to water supplies.
Canada shares aquifers (nature’s underground storage areas for water) with the United States, and while the U.S. has been busily mapping its groundwater reserves for more than a decade, Canada is lagging far behind, according to the document.
The briefing paper says, “At the present time, it will take another 22 years to complete the inventory of the 30 key regional aquifers to the point that the information will be adequate to support decision-making.”
With the U.S. ahead of the game in charting groundwater supplies, the Americans could have an advantage regarding policy-making concerning shared aquifers.
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A ‘reel’ good idea |
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Written by editor
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Monday, August 10 2009, 12:11 PM |
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Once upon a time, the old adage “build it and they will come” was enough when it came to the film industry in Alberta. And then again, we didn’t even need to build it; it was Alberta’s varied but generally rugged topography that provided the perfect backdrop for movies or television series looking for an “old west” or small-town U.S.A. feel.
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Vulcan a star in tourism galaxy |
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Written by editor
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Friday, August 07 2009, 9:50 PM |
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Vulcan a booming tourist destination? That might have seemed illogical a couple of decades ago, but thanks to a little creativity and a healthy dose of hard work, the town along Highway 23 has been able to boldly go where few communities its size have gone before — to tourism success.
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Recession lessons |
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Written by Lethbridge Herald
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Thursday, August 06 2009, 8:27 PM |
Canadians appear to be adjusting their financial game plan to meet the challenges of the recession.
A new survey by international bank ING Direct, released Tuesday, indicates Canadians are putting aside more money and spending less than citizens in a number of other industrialized countries. The motivation comes in part from the economic downturn that has convinced many Canadians they will have to delay their retirement plans, researchers indicated.
The survey suggests Canadians have been turning their fears into action after a survey last fall indicated more Canadians were expecting their standard of living to decline in retirement because of the recession.
Greg Lyle, managing director at Toronto-based Innovative Research Group, said in a Canadian Press story in October that while the current generation was looking to retire at around age 65, “they now expect to retire later.”
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