[All] Fw: Implications of Federal Tory dump of 600 EA processes

[Louisette Lanteigne]

----- Forwarded Message -----
From: Louisette Lanteigne <butterflybluelu at rogers.com>
To: Eric Davis <info at ericdavis.ca>; "jmilloy.mpp.co at liberal.ola.org" <jmilloy.mpp.co at liberal.ola.org>; "francis.scarpaleggia at parl.gc.ca" <francis.scarpaleggia at parl.gc.ca>; "stephane.dion at parl.gc.ca" <stephane.dion at parl.gc.ca>; "bob.rae at parl.gc.ca" <bob.rae at parl.gc.ca>; "jbradley.mpp at liberal.ola.org" <jbradley.mpp at liberal.ola.org> 
Sent: Thursday, August 30, 2012 1:07:28 PM
Subject: Implications of Federal Tory dump of 600 EA processes
  

Dear Ministers et al. 

Toronto Star goes into details in this article on how Federal Tories have cancelled almost 600 environmental assessments in Ontario. 

http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/politics/article/1248947--tories-have-cancelled-almost-600-environmental-assessments-in-ontario


The fact that Tories are dumping the EA reviews will have enormous externalized implications for the province of Ontario. Currently our MNR is so incredibly cash strapped that it renders enforcement virtually impossible. In Northern Ontario they have to do bake sales to try to raise money so the MNR can drive their trucks. Environmental Commissioner Gord Miller knows all about it and has released numerous reports and videos regarding this concern. I've been lobbying for this for years. The Ministry is so swamped that they only check projects for completion rather than quality of data. I'm one of the few citizen advocates who works to review the data on risky project so I can inform the ministry of the associated risks. I've spent the last 12 years of my life working directly with Ministry planners, attending OMB processes, NEB hearings etc. 

Right now the NEB is seeking public comment regarding a nuclear storage facility to be built by Lake Huron. The experts from UW that I've spoken with have told me the vertical fractures in this location guarantees a high risk for this project. They can't speak freely because across Canada, our schools our universities are heavily subsidised by the firms doing these projects. Experts can't speak for fear of being professionally blacklisted or having the research funding cut. Same is true at the federal level due to Harper. I know many of Canada's top experts personally. I give voice to what they can't say and I do it as a citizen pro bono. Nobody can cut my funding or fire me from my job. Unlike our experts, I am free to speak and represent the science as a concerned citizen without adverse impacts to my career. 

The downloading of EA's for Nukes by Tories is a major issue because the province has no jurisdiction to review such projects currently. We lack the expertise to do it because it is federal jurisdiction. Here is a power point I made regarding the associated risks and potential costs of not doing the EA right. I submitted this to the NEB panel reviewing the matter. www.ceaa.gc.ca/050/documents/p17520/80366E.pdf  The probability of tort damages and cost over runs to the province from this project is beyond enormous. 

The Tory Omnibus bill is also dumping reviews for quarry pits such as the Melancthon Mega Quarry. Here are the localized cost risks for Waterloo Region which I submitted to the Aggregate Act Review panel. http://www.slideshare.net/Waterloomoriane/ara-submission-lanteigne-aggregate-risks-gdp-impacts

The third issue I would like to relay is the associated cost risks of Enbridge Line 9 pipe reversal. The NEB approved the reversal of the line through Waterloo Region, however if Enbridge intends to switch the contents from oil to tar sands it will require additional EA processes. In the meantime, here is the economic and environmental risk to Waterloo in regards to that project. http://www.slideshare.net/Waterloomoriane/lanteigne-line9hearing

ALL THESE PROJECTS are impacted by a 2 year limit on EA review as mandated by the Tories. ALL of them place Ontario's water supply and GDP at risk. Many of these projects impact OUR local economy in Waterloo Ontario directly potentially impacting 19.5 Billion in GDP. Currently Ontario is leading the world in Green Energy solutions but if Harper scraps the EA, Ontario will be amoung the provices hit the hardest and I think it is being crafted to STOP Ontario from being an enviornmental leader. If Ontario is contaminated or suffers gross ecological or economic downfall as a result of the poor federal EA's it will ruin our global leadership position on green energy. I think this move is a direct strike against the province to ruin our global reputation as an environmental leader. 

Please feel free to circulate. 

Louisette Lanteigne
700 Star Flower Ave.
Waterloo Ont.
N2V 2L2
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://gren.ca/pipermail/all_gren.ca/attachments/20120830/1a6d5df0/attachment.html>