Canada loves ducks, fines oil company 2

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1. 

   sindark Posted 5:34 am
   10 Feb 2009

   Ducks are a distractionWhat is grotesque here is what is permitted -  tearing up the boreal forest and leaving toxic mud - not what is forbidden - killing some birds.
   The continuing furor over the 500 ducks that died in a toxic oil sands tailing pond seems like an excellent demonstration of the capacity of people to utterly miss the point. Oil sands extraction has converted a vaste swathe of boreal forest into toxic wasteland, speckled with tailings ponds up to 15 square kilometres. The Pembina Institute has asserted that: "Despite over 40 years of oil sands development, not a single hectare of land has been certified as reclaimed under Government of Alberta guidelines." In addition to that, there is the water use and the greenhouse gas emissions.
   To look at the oil sands and have your attention dominated by a few unlucky birds seems like the height of myopia.
   
   a sibilant intake of breath

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2. 

   katakanadian Posted 5:36 am
   10 Feb 2009

   More moose muffinsThe Conservative government doesn't give a shit. Public outcry demanded this fine and now the (anti-)Environment Minister is playing it for Brownie points while plotting how to increase tar sands production and avoid taking any meaningful action on climate chaos.

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