| HOME | ABOUT US | CAMPAIGNS | MEDIA | PUBLICATIONS | CHAPTERS | JOIN US | FRANÇAIS |
|
Energy
Learn why Nafta Saurus loves NAFTA so much; and why 61% of Canadians agree that NAFTA should be renegotiated to include enforceable labour and environmental standards Canada is a cold country. We need energy to heat our homes and run our cars in what sometimes seems like an endless winter. The energy companies and our government may tell you that supply shortages and increased demand drive up the price of energy. But what they aren’t telling you is that the “increased demand” is coming from the energy-hungry United States. Canada now produces about 40 per cent more oil than it consumes, but has to rely heavily on imported oil from offshore. Thanks to NAFTA, Canada now exports 70 per cent of the oil and 61 per cent of the natural gas we produce each year to the United States. NAFTA prevents us from selling our energy resources at rates lower than we sell them in the U.S. We also can’t ever cut back on the proportion of energy we produce and sell to the United States, even in times when our country runs short. The Council of Canadians believes that we need a “made in Canada” energy security strategy that promotes sustainable energy, and allows citizens to pay a fair price. Learn more from our Energy Fact Sheets and other publications » The Council of Canadians has intervener standing in the proceeding before the Ontario Energy Board on the proposed Integrated Power System Plan (IPSP). The Harris government dismantled Ontario Hydro, but the largest portion of its generation and transmission assets are still in public hands. The McGuinty government will now decide whether it can achieve its energy security and conservation goals by continuing with policies of privatization, de-regulated market reform, and increasing integration with the US. The Council of Canadians has produced three expert reports for the IPSP hearings. Two of these were written by Canada’s leading experts on free trade and the electricity sector. These point out the folly of the government’s present course given the severe constraints imposed by NAFTA and US electricity sector rules constrains the authority of provincial regulators, undermines Ontario energy security; and pave the way for higher energy costs. The third report offers an alternative. It presents a real plan for Canadian energy security and cooperation - a regional transmission grid that would provide for the integration of Ontario’s power system with other provinces, rather than the US. There are a number of other interveners raising concerns with the plan including questions of environmental sustainability, First Nations grievances and concerns with support for nuclear energy expansion. Click here (PDF 8MB) to read the evidence of the Council of Canadians before the Ontario Energy Board. On May 14, 2007, the Council of Canadians’ Lyn Gorman made a presentation to the Alberta Royalty Review Panel, arguing that the current royalty regime is “outdated,” and “does not serve the long-term interests of Albertans.” The impartial panel was appointed by the Alberta government in February 2007 to complete a thorough review of the province’s royalties and taxes on energy. Click here to read the presentation. Energy position paper (PDF) - Drafted by the Council of Canadians’ Board-Staff Committee on Energy, August 2007 MULTIMEDIA Canadian energy needs should come first (VIDEO) Nationalize Oil - Gordon Laxer, Parkland Institute Director and member of the Board of Directors of the Council of Canadians. The Current for May 3, 2007 (CBC Radio) |
FEATURES
TAR SANDS: THE DARK SIDE OF THE BOOM - BC Wide Speaking Tour on the Impacts of the Tar Sands on Communities in Alberta and BC. November 24 - December 3, 2008 The Energy Sustainability Dilemma: Powering the Future in a Finite World, J. David Hughes COAL: Some Inconvenient Truths, J. David Hughes ACTION ALERT: Like oil and water, the tar sands and climate change action don't mix An Energy Gold Rush: The SPP hands control of Canada’s energy to the oil and gas industry, Canadian Perspectives, Spring 2008 Why We Need a Canadian Energy Strategy, Canadian Perspectives, Spring 2008 [20-Mar-08] BC activists call for no new approvals after visit to Alberta tar sands [18-Mar-08] BC groups to report on “learning tour” of the Alberta tar sands Stop the injustice: Overhaul Ontario's mining laws and policiesJoint statement on Ontario's mining act, March 17, 2008
|
||||
 |
updated
November 13, 2008
|
|||||
