CHRIS HANNAY (read by SARA-JOYCE BATTERSBY): Residents of London, in Southwestern Ontario, are still digging themselves out of a barrage of snow this week. The city was hit with more than a metre of snow over a few days, burying the city, and causing the mayor to nearly call for a state of emergency. Snow days were called for schools and public transit had stopped running by Tuesday afternoon. Even more snow fell north of London, closer to Lake Huron. Some communities saw upwards of metre and a half of snow. Of course, the weather system spread across Ontario and into Quebec and Eastern Canada, where some power outages were reported. Environment Canada admitted to making a rather big mistake in ‘underforecasting’ the amount of snowfall in Montreal. The agency had said Montrealers should expect about two to four centimetres – before the city was hit with ten times that amount, or more than 30 centimetres. [ index ]

TYLER IRVING (read by MARTIN WALDMAN): Canada’s federal government is not living up to its commitments on environmental issues. That’s the conclusion of Scott Vaughan, the federal Environment Commissioner, in his annual report, which was released to parliament this week.

The document describes Canada’s actions on the environment as “unclear and uncoordinated” as well as being “aggravated by the overriding problem of a lack of sustained leadership.” It also points out that despite decades of talk, Canada still has no strategy to address the effects of climate change, is not prepared to respond to a major ship-born oil spill, and is doing a poor job of monitoring the quantity and quality of its fresh water. A prime example is of this is a 20-year-old water quality monitoring station on the Athabasca river; despite being located downstream from the oil sands, the station is only testing for pollutants associated with the pulp-and-paper industry.

The report was tabled as acting Environment Minister John Baird was preparing to leave for the COP 16 climate conference in Cancun. In a statement to the media, he said that the government is working to address Mr. Vaughan’s concerns. [ index ]

CHRIS HANNAY (read by SARA-JOYCE BATTERSBY): Sixty-one First Nations groups are opposing a proposed pipeline from Enbridge that would run from the Alberta oil sands through northern British Columbia. The pipeline, part of the Northern Gateway project, would transport crude from tar sands to waiting supertankers, that would then ship the oil to Asia. The First Nations groups that oppose the project live in the Fraser River Basin, an ecologically sensitive region also known for its sockeye salmon. The First Nations group say they oppose the pipeline because they are worried about an oil leak or spill that could harm the local habitats. The Union of B.C. Municipalities has also come out against construction of the pipeline. Enbridge did have a leak this summer in Michigan, where a burst pipeline released 3.7 million litres of crude oil. [ index ]

TYLER IRVING (read by MARTIN WALDMAN): Canada will begin consultations to create a new marine conservation area in the Lancaster Sound, off the coast of Baffin Island. The move was announced on Monday by acting Environment Minister John Baird.

Last August, First Nations in the Lancaster Sound were shocked to learn that permission had been granted to use seismic testing to map the ocean floor in the area. Residents feared that the loud sounds from the sonar equipment would threaten the region’s marine mammals. As we reported at the time, the Qikitani Inuit Association managed to get an injuction to prevent the testing the day before it was scheduled to begin.

Designating the area as a marine park will put an end to further testing in the area, which Minister Baird described as the “Serengeti of the Arctic.” It will also prevent resource exploration or extraction. However, shipping in the area will still be allowed. While many residents were happy with the announcement, others groups were not. In a press release, John Bennet of the Sierra Club stated “Climate change is already radically altering the habitat in the Arctic. Announcing a marine conservation area is a meaningless, if not cynical, gesture.” [ index ]

CHRIS HANNAY (read by SARA-JOYCE BATTERSBY): The House of Commons endorsed a motion this week to urge the government to ban oil tankers off the coast of British Columbia. The motion calls on the Conservative government to protect sensitive ecosystems by immediately proposing a bill that would ban bulk oil tanker traffic. The motion also calls on the government to honour First Nations claims in the region. The motion was introduced by New Democrat MP Nathan Cullen, who represents a riding in northern B.C. The vote passed 143 to 138, with Opposition MPs supporting it and Conservatives opposed. After the vote, Cullen said: “Banning tankers would protect the B.C. coast from Enbridge’s risky venture.” The motion is non-binding on the government, who have said a formal ban is unneccessary.  [ index ]

TYLER IRVING (read by MARTIN WALDMAN): The federal government is not following its own laws when it comes to protecting killer whales, according to Federal Court Judge James Russell. The ruling came down Tuesday as the result of a lawsuit brought by nine conservation groups.

There are two populations of killer whales, also known as orcas, living full-time in the waters off British Columbia. The southern population contains about 85 animals and is considered “endangered,” while the northern one contains about 220 animals and is classified as “threatened.” Under the federal Species at Risk Act, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans is legally required to develop plans for their protection and recovery. The department attempted to do so in a Protection Statement issued in 2008, but the policies outlined in it were non-binding. A Protection Order issued in 2009 did not account for such factors as water quality, noise pollution and food supply. These policies were challenged as inadequate by the conservation groups, and this week the judge agreed.

The DFO was tight-lipped about how it would respond to the ruling, stating only that it would review the decision to determine its next steps. [ index ]

BRYANT BOULIANNE (read by MARTIN WALDMAN): A federal judge in California has ordered that genetically-modified sugar beets recently planted in the U.S. be uprooted and destroyed. The ruling affects ‘Roundup Ready’ sugar beets, produced by GMO giant Monsanto and engineered to be resistant to herbicide. It allows farmers to spray their fields with herbicide without killing their crops. Judge Jeffrey White had ruled in August that the United States Department of Agriculture had not properly assessed the environmental impact of the modified beets, and that no further beets could be planted until a new review was completed. Ignoring the ruling, the USDA issued permits to Monsanto to sell and plant more of the modified seeds. Last week, Judge White took the USDA to task for illegally issuing permits against his ruling, and ordered that all beets planted after his ruling took effect be destroyed. Monsanto has countered that its beets have already proven to be safe, and that because 95% of sugar beets in the U.S. are genetically modified, the ruling will wipe out the country’s 2012 harvest. Monsanto plans to appeal the ruling. This is the first time that a U.S. court has ordered the destruction of planted crops. [ index ]

BRYANT BOULIANNE (read by MARTIN WALDMAN): The 2010 UN Climate Change Convention is underway in Cancun, Mexico. At issue is the creation of a new global agreement to fight climate change and to replace the nearly expired Kyoto Treaty. Key to any agreement are the United States and China, the world’s two largest emitters of greenhouse gases. Earlier this month, China admitted for the first time that it had become the world’s largest emitter of carbon. Reports coming out of the ongoing meetings suggest that China and the U.S. have compromised on key issues to come closer to an agreement. One key issue is how to veryify a nation’s total gas emissions, and recent reports claim that China has softened its stance on the issue as the U.S. has compromised on funding and technology transfers to developing nations. The New York Times reports that there is guarded optimism among some officials that deal could be reached by the end of the talks later today. [ index ]