Here is a link to a blog post and a 7 minute video of a protest on the oil sands on the EU-Canada free trade deal that is starting to be negotiated in Brussels.
As an Albertan and therefore and owner of the oil sands, I feel we have to be more aware about what is being said about us in the international community. Equally as important I am concerned what my provincial and federal government are saying and doing about the development of the oil sands, in my name and with my property. Do other Albertans feel the same way? I would love to hear your perspectives in comments.
Then I feel I have to know more about what my tenants, the oil sands developers are doing to exploit my resource in a responsible and sustainable way...along with paying a fair rent to me and future generations by way of royalties.
For the typical citizen it is hard to get the information and when you do get something from the usual sources it has so much spin and propaganda we all know we can't believe it and we start to mistrust the sources. A perfect example of this is the response to my non-scientific blog survey showing about 6% of participants were prepared to trust our governments to monitor the ecological impacts of the oil sands.
The spin and propaganda from governments these days is so obvious we have simply decided to ignore them as a trustworthy source of factual information. This is a dangerous situation for an effective democracy. Something has to change and the climate for more open, transparent and accountable government is not good
Talk to the thousands of professionals that work in the oilsands for the real story. They are your friends and neighbours.
ReplyDeleteIgnore the spin.
That goes for you too, Ken
Sound advice Anon but will the professionals be allowed to speak their minds? Those in the federal and provincial governments as sure muzzled.
ReplyDeleteKen, if you talk to some the thousands of professionals who work in oilsands related business, you will very quickly determine whether or not they are being muzzled.
ReplyDeleteSpeculation and assumptions in the end accounts for nothing.