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Photos of dying ducks delivered to legislature
News Articles | CBC News | March 10, 2010
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The delivery of huge copies of photos of dying ducks to the legislature Wednesday kept alive the controversy over what Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach has seen of those troubling pictures.
“I’d like him to look at these images, look at, you know, some of the cost of these toxic tarsands operations,” said Mike Hudema, a climate and energy campaigner for Greenpeace in Edmonton.
On Monday, Stelmach repeatedly told reporters he had not seen images released March 2 after being submitted as evidence during Syncrude’s trial on provincial and federal charges of violating environmental laws.
The images show oil-soaked ducks struggling and dying in a Syncrude tailings pond on April 28, 2008. They were featured prominently in newspapers, on television newscasts and online news sites last week.
Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/edmonton/story/2010/03/10/edmonton-duck-images-stelmach-tries-to-clarify-remarks.html#ixzz0htXgcb0o
In the legislature Tuesday, Stelmach tried to clarify his remarks, saying he had seen pictures of oil-soaked ducks from 2008, shortly after the incident happened.
“Not even looking at the front page of papers in this province? That’s something that is not responsible for a premier to do,” said Hudema.
“They are taking Syncrude to court, but are they actually examining their own actions?”
Responsibility for the deaths of the birds lies not just with the oilsands giant but the province for the standards it has set and how those standards are enforced, Hudema said.
Delivery won’t make a difference
The delivery of the photos probably won’t make a difference to the premier, Liberal MLA and environmental critic Laurie Blakeman said Wednesday.
“Frankly, the photos were available before and he didn’t take the opportunity,” she said.
International reaction to the images should compel the premier to look at the latest images and do something, she said.
“I don’t think it’s been an over-reaction. I think many Albertans are not aware of how others are looking at us, and how devastating it will be if they’re successful at lobbying U.S. lawmakers to not buy our oil.”
New Democratic Party MLA Brian Mason called the photographs an international “black eye,” and called on the government to get rid of tailings ponds altogether.
“They need to not just spend money on spin internationally, but they actually have to act and show that they’re acting and clean up the tar sands, clean up those tailings ponds and eliminate them. We think that there’s technology available to do that,” he said.
A spokesman confirmed that the premier had seen the pictures, which were also sent to him by the Liberals, before going into question period Wednesday. The spokesman said the premier’s opinion has not changed — he believes the duck deaths were unacceptable and that’s why Syncrude was charged.
The oilsands giant faces one count under Section 155 of the Alberta Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act for permitting the deposit of a substance harmful to migratory birds in waters or an area frequented by birds.
Syncrude has pleaded not guilty to both charges. The trial started on March 1 and is expected to last six to nine weeks.
Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/edmonton/story/2010/03/10/edmonton-duck-images-stelmach-tries-to-clarify-remarks.html#ixzz0htXbt5ZZ
Tagged with: syncrude, ducks, greenpeace, tailings ponds, ed stelmach, cbc
