The final Frontier
- Details
- Published on Friday, 05 October 2018 11:40
- Written by editor
A massive open-pit mine — possibly the largest ever proposed in Alberta — is quietly working its way through the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency’s approval process.
Critics worry it is an environmental and economic blunder of epic proportions.
With oil prices low and concerns about climate change at and all time high, the Frontier mine seems like a megaproject of a bygone era.
The supersized open-pit mine will have a staggering 292 square kilometre footprint in the northern reaches of Alberta's boreal forest, just 30 kilometres upstream of Canada's threatened Wood Buffalo national park.
And while the company, Vancouver-based Teck Resources, vows to abide by Alberta's environmental rules, many onlookers say the project made sense in 2011 but has no place in a modern world that's rapidly transitioning away from fossil fuels.
Check out this knock-out feature from our Alberta reporter, Sharon J. Riley, on the latest oilsands project to hit Canada's environmental assessment circuit, and, as always, scroll down to see oh-so-much more.
Emma Gilchrist
Editor-in-Chief, The Narwhal
On the trail of the Porcupine caribou herd
By Matt JacquesWhen we hit day 11 of our 12-day hike in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge without seeing a single caribou, our group began to worry our trip had been in vain. But when one of our hiking party disappeared into the dark fog one night our problems began to take on new proportions. Read more to see the photos.
Teck Resources pegged with $8 million fine for toxic smelter pollution of Columbia River
By Judith LavoieBetween 1930 and 1995, Teck discharged about 400 tons of slag daily — an estimated 9.97 million tons in total — directly into the Columbia River. Now communities living downstream say there's bills to pay. Read more.
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Latest oilsands mega mine proposal a reality check for Alberta’s emissions cap
By Sharon J. RileyPublic hearings for the colossal Frontier mine project begin this week — opening an intense debate about whether and how the project’s emissions can be squared with either Alberta’s highly publicized emissions cap or Canada’s commitments to fight climate change. Read more. Word of the week:
Emissions Cap
/əˈmiSH(ə)ns kap/
A theoretically hard limit on the amount of carbon dioxide equivalent that can be produced by a given place or sector. We say "theoretically," because Alberta is considering new projects that will blow past its "cap" while the Canadian government has just bought a pipeline despite professing to be planning to limit its own emissions. Use this word sparingly in the presence of those prone to magical thinking.
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