VANESSA PURDY: This past Friday, Canadian Solar held a job fair in Guelph in hopes of hiring 500 workers to manufacture solar panels. These employment opportunities are resultant of the Green Energy Act, which mandates 60% Ontario content in solar panels, in order to make them eligible for a good return rate of solar power generators.

This is good news for the city and province, as, when it reaches its full potential, Canadian Solar will be in Guelph’s top 20 largest employers. As well, it will be their first manufacturing plant on home soil—the rest of Canadian Solar’s plants are in China. This homecoming of sorts is hopefully the marking of the beginning of a trend, where Canadian companies can work within their country to realize its green energy potential on home soil, thanks in large part to the Green Energy Act.

The act is already being held responsible for the creation of over 4,000 Ontario manufacturing jobs, with an additional 5000 anticipated.  [ index ]

Canada faces trade complications over oil sands emissions: Oil imports from Canada have been targeted by the European Union for a potential trade stoppage, raising some fears that a multi-billion dollar trade deal between the two could collapse. Canadian environmental officials have stated that EU standards for greener fuels could harm a possible market for its oil sands. During negotiations last year, the EU eased its stance on the issue, setting aside a goal to curb greenhouse gases from transport fuels by 6 percent. But after several months of reserach, the EU’s trade and climate commissioners are set to take a stand on the most carbon-intensive sources of fuel.

The research findings also agreed with claims from several environmental groups, that the extra energy needed to extract oil from the north Alberta sands intensifies environmental damage and pollution. Canadian officials have questioned the EU’s methodology in their studies. Canada has already mounted various challenges against the EU at the World Trade Organization, most notably over seal products, and they are expected to appeal this move as well. [ index ]

VANESSA PURDY: A report released by two Canadian organizations, the Public Policy Forum, and Sustainable Prosperity reveals a huge gap between the number of Canadians and Americans who believe in climate change. The report shows 80% of Canadians, and, shockingly, only 58% of Americans think the science behind global warming is legitimate.

This result aligns as well with the evidence from the survey that only 43% of Americans feel that their government is responsible for addressing climate change, in contrast to Canada’s 65%. This survey really highlights the attitudinal differences between nations, especially when it comes to environmental concern and action.

Not surprisingly, the difference extends to money as well, with 73% of Canadians claiming they would be wiling to pay a minimum of $50 more annually in energy costs in order for more renewable energy to be produced, with only 555 of Americans saying the same. [ index ]

GE salmon could reach Canadian waters soon: A renowned scientist at Canada’s Department of Fisheries and Oceans is at the centre of a heated debate about the introduction of genetically engineered salmon species for mass consumption. Bob Devlin began his research on genetically engineered salmon in 1989, and is considered one of the world’s leading experts on the topic. Boston-based AquaBounty Technologies is nearing a key decision from the US Food and Drug Administration over its GE salmon, grown at the company’s research facility in Prince Edward Island.

Last year, the FDA’s analysis concluded that the company’s GE salmon — engineered to grow twice as fast as regular salmon — are safe to eat and not expected to have a significant impact on the environment. AquaBounty believes that their salmon are an economically and environmentally sustainable alternative for the farmed salmon industry, considering decreasing wild salmon stocks. But Devlin’s work found that growth-enhanced salmon had ravenous appetites that out-competed and even ate native salmon in a laboratory environment. The genetic engineering process also alters the fishes’ behaviour. AquaBounty is still preparing its formal application to the Canadian government to turn its hatchery in PEI into a commercial operation. [ index ]

VANESSA PURDY: B.C.’s groundwater sources face a serious threat from hundreds of large marijuana plantations dumping toxic waste onto rural land. This careless disposal creates cesspools that have immense potential to seriously contaminate the province’s water. RCMP Staff Sgt Warren Brown says the Mounties have recently closed down 34 giant grow-ops, solely in the Cariboo region, each leaving behind a toxic pool. These bizarre concoctions of pesticides, herbicides, diesel fuel and fertilizer are so toxic, one pool did not even freeze at– 21 degrees Celsius.

The sites of these pools are very close to ponds streams and wetlands, and the devastating effects they could have are not yet fully known.

Unfortunately, there is no body in BC trained, funbded, or ultimately responsible for cleaning up chemical dumps. The only hope is that the Environment Ministry will intervene.

With the soil already extremely contaminated, it is only a matter of time before it spreads to the water supply and those who consume it, without intervention. [ index ]

Ontario faces Agent Orange probe: Ontario Transportation Minister Kathleen Wynne has promised an inquiry after it was revealed the province used the chemical Agent Orange along major highways up to the 1980s. Agent Orange is a defoliant best known for its use by the US military in Vietnam to strip the country’s jungles and crop lands. It has since been linked to birth defects and deadly illnesses, and its use was banned by the federal government in 1985.

Gilles Bisson of the Ontario NDP stated that former highway workers in his riding of Timmins-James Bay reported spraying Agent Orange throughout the region to curb the growth of grass and shrubs along the roads. Archived documents also suggest that many workers would have been exposed to Agent Orange while clearing Crown land from the 1950s onward. As the provincial government gathers information for its probe, many former workers are considering class action lawsuits if traces of the chemical are found in their bodies. [ index ]

BRYANT BOULIANNE (read by Vanessa Purdy): British scientists have embarked on a project to eliminate millions of rats from South Georgia Island, in the South Atlantic near Argentina. When the famed Captain Cook found South Georgia in the 18th century and claimed it for Britian, the island was teeming with sea birds who used it as their nesting grounds. That all changed when brown rats, carried by whaling ships, colonized the island. The rats soon multiplied into millions and began feasting on small birds and their eggs. This has caused drastic crashes in marine bird populations, some of which nest exclusively on South Georgia.

This week, scientists began a test cull by dropping thousands of poison pellets on a small area of the island. They intend to return in two years and, if the area has become rat-free, they will expand the poisoning to the entire island. It is hoped that by eliminating the rats, hundreds of thousands of birds will be able to return to the island. [ index ]

BRYANT BOULIANNE (read by Vanessa Purdy): The Australian government announced it will resume its efforts to introduce a price on carbon. Under the proposed plan, Australia would set a fixed price that carbon emitters must pay per unit of carbon starting in 2012. The price would then fluctuate with the carbon market starting in 2017. Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s attempt to get the plan through parliament will come after her predecessor failed twice to bring a carbon market to Australia. If Gillard succeeds, Australia would join New Zealand, the European Union, and a small other handful of jurisdictions that have introduced carbon-trading. [ index ]

BRYANT BOULIANNE (read by Vanessa Purdy): The use of genetically modified crops grew by 10% worldwide last year, according to the industry association of agricultural technology companies. They estimate that in 2010 15 million farmers planted 148 million hectares of genetically-modified plants. These include herbicide-resistant soybeans and insect-killing corn, two of the most popular GMO crops. Though their use grew last year, GMO foods have faced numerous court battles as well, particularly in the U.S. This includes a lengthy back-and-forth court battle that saw a federal judge order the entire planting of GMO sugar beets destroyed nation-wide, only to have the decision stayed while an environmental review of the GMO beets takes place. While proponents argue that modified plants are needed to improve yields and fight malnutrition in the developing world, critics argue that they pose a risk to health and the environment. [ index ]

MARTIN WALDMAN: A Canadian environmental group is stepping in to help the governments of British Columbia and Montana follow through on an agreement to save the Flathead River Valley. The Nature Conservancy of Canada, along with the United States Nature Conservancy are contributing 9.4 million dollars between them to cover costs related to a 2010 crossborder agreement.

The Flathead River Valley lies in BC’s southeast, and is known for its impressive natural areas. The valley is reportedly home to 16 different species of carnivore.

Part of the money will compensate current coal and mineral companies for their exploration of the area, which is one of the most pristine wilderness areas in the country. The British Columbia NDP’s environment critic, Rob Fleming, criticized the provincial government for failing to give the initiative proper funding, and leaving the burden on NGOs. The president of the Nature Conservancy of Canada said this week’s new plan removes major threats to conservation in the area, but that the discussion over protecting the Flathead valley will likely continue. [ index ]

VANESSA PURDY: A video released on Valentine’s Day by Greenpeace, mocking online dating commercials depicts Environment Minister Peter Kent as finding his soul mate in a tar sands oil executive. You can watch the video on PolluterHarmony.ca, as well as others showing tongue-in-cheek romances between Alberta Environment Minister Rob Renner and Hal Kvisle, a new oilsands monitoring chair.

Keith Stewart, climate and energy campaigner at Greenpeace, says quote “since he was named Environment Minister, Peter Kent has acted more as a spokesman for the dirty tar sands industry than as a protector of the environment.”

This video came out around the same time Kent said that Ottawa did not need any new regulations to cut down cut greenhouse gas emissions. He claims Environment Canada already has the tools it needs to successfully reach the Conservative’s plan to reduce emissions by 17% from 2005 levels, by 2020. So far, only a quarter of the reductions necessary have been made. Kent said the north American cap-and-trade system (involving putting a price on carbon emissions) that a federal panel was pushing for, was not likely to been seen in the near future, and too costly for Canada to do alone. He also announced that the federal government is going to continue with their plans to mandate a 2% renewable content in heating oil and diesel fuel, starting July 1. [ index ]

MARTIN WALDMAN: Canada and other Arctic countries are set to launch a major study in the spring to help cope with the irreversible effects of climate change. The clear melting of polar ice was the key factor in the Arctic Council’s decision to announce the study. The project will be called the Arctic Change Assessment, and will be presented this May, during a meeting of 8 foreign ministers Greenland. Canada is expected to play a key role in the study, because its stint as the rotating chair of the council will happen while the study is undertaken. Recent studies have raised even more alarms about the pace of disappearing Arctic ice. A senior Arctic official from Norway noted that study’s main goal will be to examine how to adapt to changes that are already underway, and are impossible to avoid. [ index ]

VANESSA PURDY: This past week Ethical Markets Media released their February 2011 Green Transition Scoreboard. The GTS tracks of the private financial system on a global scale over time, for all areas involved with green markets. The GTS is intended to be used as a tool to identify the ethical progress of accumulating wealth under the bottom line being defined as planet, people and profits.

The Scoreboard revealed that, since 2007, private investments in green technologies and companies have risen and now total more than $2 trillion.Until now, many studies showed that the annual investment of $1 trillion until 2020 would accelerate the global Green Transition; but the GTS shows that we are well on our way to reaching the goal of $10 trillion by 2020.

All in all, the study indicates that a positive outlook for a greener economy in the 21st century is not unfounded. For more information or to read the full report, visit www.greentransitionscoreboard.com. [ index ]

MARTIN WALDMAN: Stormwater leakage from a major landfill in Eastern Ontario is prompting renewed calls for the closure of the facility near Napanee. The Canadian Environmental Law Association reported that a provincial order and notice were issued against Waste Management of Canada Corporation, after a recent inspection by the Environment Ministry. The provincial officer’s report says stormwater was being discharged from the Richmond Landfill last Dec. 20, with the flow estimated at 20,000 litres per day. While the ministry noted their concerns that stormwater could be contaminated through the site, a spokesman for Waste Management said tests by the company and the ministry determined the water wasn’t harmful. The chief of the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte has stated that the site is not suitable for any such operations, and is already worried about potential health impacts on his community. [ index ]

VANESSA PURDY: A crew of 600 workers are fighting back against the destructive mountain pine beetle. The most recent campaign against the tree-killing bugs in Alberta forests is in full force in west central Alberta, between Grande Prairie, Hinton, and Slave Lake. The hope is to save Alberta’s forests from the fate of BC’s, 80% of which is expected to be wiped out by the beetles by 2013.

The Albertan workers aim to have cut and burnt all the infested trees by the end of March, numbering around 170,000. As it stands, about 6 million hectares of Alberta’s forest are threated. The campaign is costing $15 million, and, if successful could save up to 1.7 million trees and prevent the beetles from spreading further east. [ index ]

BRYANT BOULIANNE: Japan has announced that it will end its whaling hunt early this year due to persistent disruption by the anti-whaling group “Sea Shepherd”. The Japanese whaling fleet, which hunts in the Southern Ocean whale sanctuary above Antarctica, was due to continue its hunt until mid-March, but temporarily suspended hunting last week. Now, Japan has called off the remainder of the whaling season and is recalling the fleet. Japan claims it could not guarantee the safety of its sailors due to “harassment” by Sea Shepherd.

Tactics employed by Sea Shepherd include pelting Japanese ships with smoke bombs, tangling their propellers with rope, and blocking their loading ramps to prevent them from landing harpooned whales. Each year the Japanese fleet sets off to kill around 900 whales under the guise of scientific research, even though the whale meat is sold off as food. Sea Shepherd and environmentalists counter that the hunt is of no scientific value and endangers whale populations in the sanctuary. [ index ]

BRYANT BOULIANNE: Massive public opposition has saved Britain’s forests from the auction block. Like in many countries, tough economic times have forced the British government to make broad cuts to reign in the deficit. As part of its cost-cutting measures, the British government announced last month that it would sell off large chunks of publicly-owned forests to charities and private interests. It claimed this would raise millions of pounds in a one-off sale and would lower yearly expenditures on forestry. But now, amid an outpouring of public outrage and a poll suggesting that 84% of Brits are against the sale, the government announced it is putting an end to the idea. The proposal was unpopular enough that the environment secretary apologized to parliament for the poorly thought-out decision, saying “if there is one clear message from this experience, it is that people cherish their forests and woodlands and the benefits they bring.” [ index ]

BRYANT BOULIANNE: US oil giant Chevron is appealing an $8.6billion fine imposed on it by an Ecuadorian court. The fine is punishment for massive pollution caused by oil firm Texaco, which merged with Chevron in 2001. Ecuadorians and environmentalists claim that Texaco dumped massive amounts of toxic waste into rivers and forests which have caused lasting environmental and health problems. Chevron claims that Texaco spent millions cleaning up, and that a 1998 agreement with the Ecuadorian government absolves it of any future liability. Chevron has taken the case to the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Netherlands to appeal the fine. [ index ]