The SCAN! Blog
“Ford Unfastens the Greenbelt” by Bob Wood
Much has been written and said by experts, advocates and citizens regarding Bill 23 the More Homes Built Faster Act (2022). Thousands continue to take to the streets in protest. Keep reading to find out what the Act does but first let’s talk about the rationale for...
“Will COP 15 Mark a Turning Point for Global Biodiversity?” by Ron Corkum
The COP 15 Biodiversity Conference took place in Montreal this past December from which came an agreement on a Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF). In the three years prior to the conference several workshops were convened to produce a draft framework using...
“Is the Oil Industry Funding or Filling Our Hospitals?” by Moya Beall
Canada’s oil and gas industry is expected to make $147 billion after taxes this year. The profits have been described as “extraordinary”, “record-breaking” and “eye-popping” An even more graphic description came from a Calgary-based financial manager: "This is...
“Broken Election Promises” by Kenneth Epps
Political cynicism has reached a level in Canada where there is now little surprise when government leaders break election promises. Two such promises recently broken by Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau have prompted no calls for...
“COP 27 and Shaming” by Gail Greer
Conferences of the Parties, COPs, to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) are an annual venue for shaming the countries responsible for producing the greenhouse (GHG) gas emissions causing man-made climate change. Where else can the voices of Less...
“Fanny, Clara & Louise: The SCAN! Concert” by Susan Crean
Sometimes the improbable happens as when the ordinary is revealed as exceptional, or the exceptional as commonplace. So it was with live music during the dog days of the pandemic, when theatres and concert halls were shuttered. Some musicians took to the streets and...
“Future-proof Carbon Pricing Lets Big Emitters Off The Hook” by David Robertson
The federal government wants to ‘future proof’ carbon pricing but still lets big emitters off the hook. At the beginning of November, the federal government delivered its fall Economic Statement. It was another failing on the climate front. In the foreword to the...
“Blue Hydrogen? Nein Danke” by Martin Bush
Canada and Germany look set to ink a major energy project in Newfoundland that will see that province manufacture large amounts of green hydrogen over the next decade and ship the gas over to Germany. It’s an ambitious proposal but Germany is in a bind. It needs...