Ontario Yours to Protect! – Zombie quarry stalks Burlington’s Escarpment – Environmental Defence: After having their application rejected in 2012 due to its risks to wildlife and the quantity and quality of the local water supply, Nelson Aggregates are again seeking approval to create two new open-pit mines in Burlington’s escarpment, betting the looser environmental rules now in place will allow it to move ahead.

They are also alarmed by the increasing heavy gravel truck traffic on the rural roads and the irritation caused by the dust and vibration associated with the blasting and the trucks used to haul the rock.

Additional concerns include the possibility of contaminated fill being added to Nelson Aggregate’s current quarry site and the threatening impact this could have on the future safety of drinking well water.

If the quarry goes ahead it will lead to the permanent destruction of 124 additional acres of prime farmland and green space in the increasingly urban GTHA. Promises of future restoration decades into the future do not offset the impacts of the destruction of these precious open spaces in Burlington’s backyard.

Ontario Yours to Protect! – Zombie quarry stalks Burlington’s Escarpment – Environmental Defence: After having their application rejected in 2012 due to its risks to wildlife and the quantity and quality of the local water supply, Nelson Aggregates are again seeking approval to create two new open-pit mines in Burlington’s escarpment, betting the looser environmental rules now in place will allow it to move ahead.They are also alarmed by the increasing heavy gravel truck traffic on the rural roads and the irritation caused by the dust and vibration associated with the blasting and the trucks used to haul the rock.Additional concerns include the possibility of contaminated fill being added to Nelson Aggregate’s current quarry site and the threatening impact this could have on the future safety of drinking well water.If the quarry goes ahead it will lead to the permanent destruction of 124 additional acres of prime farmland and green space in the increasingly urban GTHA. Promises of future restoration decades into the future do not offset the impacts of the destruction of these precious open spaces in Burlington’s backyard.Read More

How did a lawyer who took on big oil and won end up under house arrest?: I remember hearing over a year ago that charges against Chevron for polluting these people of Ecuador had been dropped. Even if they weren’t charged… it isn’t like the pollution was going to disappear, and it certainly wasn’t the Ecuadorian people that caused the pollution. I was appalled that Chevron was able to get away with this. And you know what really ticks me off? Chevron is a Canadian Company and our governments have never offered to step in to right this wrong.

“Chevron’s case,” said Donziger’s lawyer Andrew Frisch, “rested on the testimony of a witness who was paid over $1 million.” Frisch stated that Kaplan’s rulings “have been contradicted in whole or in part by 17 appellate judges in Ecuador and 10 in Canada, including unanimous decisions of the highest courts in both countries.”

Nevertheless, without a jury, Kaplan accepted Guerra’s testimony and found that Donziger had committed fraud. Finally, Kaplan ordered Donziger to turn over his computer and cellphone to Chevron. Since this order violated attorney-client confidentiality, Donziger refused until the court of appeals could decide the issue.

Kaplan charged Donziger with “criminal contempt” for refusing his order. However, the order and the contempt charge were so outrageous that the N.Y. prosecutor’s office refused to accept the case. Kaplan defied the state authorities and appointed a private law firm, Seward & Kissel—with commercial ties to Chevron—to act as prosecutor, which, in turn, ordered Donziger be placed under “pretrial home detention.”

How did a lawyer who took on big oil and won end up under house arrest?: I remember hearing over a year ago that charges against Chevron for polluting these people of Ecuador had been dropped. Even if they weren’t charged… it isn’t like the pollution was going to disappear, and it certainly wasn’t the Ecuadorian people that caused the pollution. I was appalled that Chevron was able to get away with this. And you know what really ticks me off? Chevron is a Canadian Company and our governments have never offered to step in to right this wrong.“Chevron’s case,” said Donziger’s lawyer Andrew Frisch, “rested on the testimony of a witness who was paid over $1 million.” Frisch stated that Kaplan’s rulings “have been contradicted in whole or in part by 17 appellate judges in Ecuador and 10 in Canada, including unanimous decisions of the highest courts in both countries.”Nevertheless, without a jury, Kaplan accepted Guerra’s testimony and found that Donziger had committed fraud. Finally, Kaplan ordered Donziger to turn over his computer and cellphone to Chevron. Since this order violated attorney-client confidentiality, Donziger refused until the court of appeals could decide the issue.Kaplan charged Donziger with “criminal contempt” for refusing his order. However, the order and the contempt charge were so outrageous that the N.Y. prosecutor’s office refused to accept the case. Kaplan defied the state authorities and appointed a private law firm, Seward & Kissel—with commercial ties to Chevron—to act as prosecutor, which, in turn, ordered Donziger be placed under “pretrial home detention.”Read More

‘$100 billion will be needed’: Huge gap in vaccine funds to fight coronavirus, WHO says: More than 19.92 million people have been reported to be infected by the coronavirus globally and 729,883​ have died, according to a Reuters tally.

Infections have been reported in more than 210 countries and territories since the first cases were identified in China in December 2019.

“For the vaccines alone, over $100 billion will be needed,” Tedros told a briefing in Geneva.

‘$100 billion will be needed’: Huge gap in vaccine funds to fight coronavirus, WHO says: More than 19.92 million people have been reported to be infected by the coronavirus globally and 729,883​ have died, according to a Reuters tally.Infections have been reported in more than 210 countries and territories since the first cases were identified in China in December 2019.“For the vaccines alone, over $100 billion will be needed,” Tedros told a briefing in Geneva.Read More

The Stranded Asset Parade Is Starting – Below 2C: Analysts fully expect that more and more big fossil companies will  declare “impairments” in their production and exploration assets in the not-too-distant future. BP and Shell downgraded the value of their combined assets by as much as US$39.5 billion in recent weeks.

The fossil fuel sector is starting to recognize that the world is pivoting to low-carbon energy making the risk of stranded assets an inescapable reality. The world cannot develop new resources of fossils and still meet the Paris Agreement target of net zero carbon emissions by 2100.

The Stranded Asset Parade Is Starting – Below 2C: Analysts fully expect that more and more big fossil companies will  declare “impairments” in their production and exploration assets in the not-too-distant future. BP and Shell downgraded the value of their combined assets by as much as US$39.5 billion in recent weeks.The fossil fuel sector is starting to recognize that the world is pivoting to low-carbon energy making the risk of stranded assets an inescapable reality. The world cannot develop new resources of fossils and still meet the Paris Agreement target of net zero carbon emissions by 2100.Read More

One Of The World’s Top COVID-19 Vaccines Is ‘stuck’ In Customs—Is The Delay Deliberate? | Inventiva: “If
these vaccine trials are successful, we can produce and distribute it
right here at home,” Trudeau said at a press conference. “Research and
development take time and must be done right, but this is encouraging
news.”

Nearly three months later, Canada is still waiting for the vaccine to ship.

Health Canada, a government agency that oversees the country’s health policy, told Fortune that
the shipment has “not yet been approved by Chinese customs for shipment
to Canada.” Dalhousie University in Canada, which is partnering with
CanSino Biologics to conduct the trials, told Fortune that its
Canadian Center for Vaccinology is “prepared and ready” to begin the
trials once the supplies arrive, but doesn’t have a timeline as to when
that might be. CanSino did not respond to requests for comment.

One Of The World’s Top COVID-19 Vaccines Is ‘stuck’ In Customs—Is The Delay Deliberate? | Inventiva: “If
these vaccine trials are successful, we can produce and distribute it
right here at home,” Trudeau said at a press conference. “Research and
development take time and must be done right, but this is encouraging
news.”Nearly three months later, Canada is still waiting for the vaccine to ship.Health Canada, a government agency that oversees the country’s health policy, told Fortune that
the shipment has “not yet been approved by Chinese customs for shipment
to Canada.” Dalhousie University in Canada, which is partnering with
CanSino Biologics to conduct the trials, told Fortune that its
Canadian Center for Vaccinology is “prepared and ready” to begin the
trials once the supplies arrive, but doesn’t have a timeline as to when
that might be. CanSino did not respond to requests for comment.Read More