Politics « GORDON MCDOWELL

Oil Sands Debate with Elizabeth May

Posted by gordonmcdowell in Alberta, Calgary, Canada, Environment, Politics on November 20th, 2009

“Is Oil Sands Development Ultimately Irreconcilable with the Environmental Agenda?” was the question posed by Calgary Enterprise Forum. The discussion was held at Calgary Petroleum Club featuring Elizabeth May, Deborah Yedlin (Calgary Herald columnist) and Murray Smith (Energy Minister 2001-2005).

Despite the plethora of oil patch executives, Calgary Greens and red wine, no fisticuffs took place.

01:35	Deborah Yedlin: Issue is bigger than Oil Sands. Stopping production today will have no impact on global GHG (Green House Gas) emissions. No such thing as clean coal. Carbon capture and storage is like giving methadone to a heroin addict. Alberta is as arid as Arizona desert, should we use 45% of our water on agriculture?
09:47	Murray D. Smith: Oil patch and oil sands history. Industry is full of people who care about the environment. We use half our energy transporting energy. Oil sands development should continue.
15:06	Elizabeth May: Climate change is a security issue. Innovators profited during similar scenario regarding ozone layer and CFC manufacturers in 1985. Biggest economic opportunity in history of humanity. Go slow. Sensible planning. Moratorium.
21:55	Q – Is the Green Party against the oil sands? A – (EM) Moratorium on new project development until efficiency improves. EROI of 3:1 must be improved before expansion.
22:33	Q – Are innovations due to good will of oil companies, or due to public pressure? A – (DY) Early developments focused on profit, until footprint recognized. Astonishing reclaimed mines. Public pressure and profit play roles, but mainly respect for where we live. \| (EM) Only 1 square km certified reclaimed. Far less criticism of industry than Alberta government. \| (MS) Alberta had 1st Dept of Environment in Canada. Role of Energy Resource Conservation Board is world level. Stopped flaring and minimized surface venting. Is reasonable to argue Alberta government fell down on infrastructure. Government is a partner with industry.
26:44	Q – As a province, are we developing our resources too fast? A – (EM) Peter Lougheed says development was too fast. Is 5 million gallons a day our goal? Where is our energy policy? \| (DY) Market forces were already slowing development before market crash. We don’t want government dictating which projects go forward. \| (EM) Government assistance propped up industry when oil was under $30/barrel.
31:23	Q – How do we prepare for onslaught of NGOs? A – (MS) Shipments continue to increase. Oil sands are part of Obama’s economic recovery program. Resource belongs to Alberta, but opportunity belongs to Canada. Not enough Canadian refining capacity to supply Albertan oil to Eastern Canada. Oil sands is convenient target for protesters, try protest in Venezuela or Iraq. We need Canadian energy supply strategy.
36:51	Q – What can we all agree on? A – (DY) Sustainable energy, economy & environment is common goal. We need national energy strategy. Natural gas industry in deep trouble. \| (DS) Transmission lines deliver carbon savings. Get involved in public policy. Sausage. \| (EM) Need public policy around energy. Important to have dialog like this. Thank you to government of Alberta for stopping flaring. Stone age didn’t end because we rant out of stones. Shut down Alberta coal plants, use natural gas. Improve oil sands efficiency and keep producing for a long time.

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Calgary’s Low Carbon Future – The Summit

Posted by gordonmcdowell in Alberta, Calgary, Canada, Environment, Politics on September 14th, 2009

I haven’t had too many opportunities to stream live video since WireCast days at Cambrian House, so Calgary’s Carbon Summit was to be a live test of my new configuration:

Dual core MacBook
Wireless microphones feeding both the live stream, and HDV capture
3G iPhone with tethering capabilities (and my strong desire to max out ROGERS 6 GB data plan)

UStream.TV had broadcast flawlessly from my house the night before. What could go wrong? Well apparently SAIT’s WiFi was blocking ports to which the UStream responded by crashing the browser. Any browser.

Fortunately I had a ROGERS 6 GB data plan, an iPhone 3G, and a deep burning desire to use up as much bandwidth as possible. Do you know how HARD it is to eat up 6 GB with an iPhone? Finding a reasonably priced ROGERS data plan is IMPOSSIBLE, so I took SAIT’s blocked ports as a blessing in disguise. 753,100 KB later, and UStream.TV had rebroadcast the summit.

I’ve since had a chance to upload HDV coverage of the event to YouTube, and also to Internet Archive. The most viewer-friendly copy can be found at R4NT.com entitled “Calgary’s Low Carbon Future”, it is cut down from 101 to 56 minutes and follows the narrative woven by Skid Crease.

Outcomes
The summit adds value to other City of Calgary initiatives including the development of a Community Greenhouse Gas Plan, The City Manager’s Office Sustainable Development Strategy and the World Energy Cities Partnership. This is an opportunity to develop a multi-stakeholder developed and ratified action plan to address future energy challenges.

Bios for keynote speakers can be found here. Rob Macintosh’s presentation is also available as an isolated YouTube video, and downloadable MPEG-4 from Internet Archive.

Calgary, CalgaryLowCarbon, carbon dioxide, climate change, CO2, Summit

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Green Party’s Elizabeth May in Calgary

Posted by gordonmcdowell in Calgary, Canada, Politics on July 8th, 2009

July 2nd to 4th, the leader of Canada’s Green Party, Elizabeth May visited Calgary to attend fund raising and community events. After a fundraiser, Elizabeth allowed me to record a quick Q&A with her regarding one of my concerns: The Pirate Party launching in Canada.

The Pirate Party’s platform is not as outrageous as many assume. They don’t want to abolish copyright, rather limit its duration and focus its impact on commercial (for-profit) activities. The Pirate Party also wants to abolish software patents, which many software programmers consider a restriction on free speech. However, many of its policies are closely mirrored by the Green Party’s platform.

What is Elizabeth May’s response to Swedish Pirate Party members being elected to European Parliment?

I’ve posted my concerns in a R4NT.com article. Single issue candidates can not get elected to Parliament under Canada’s first-past-the-post electoral system. If a Green MP will defend consumers (and the economy) against Bill C-61 horror shows, is splitting the digital-rights-minded vote a smart move?

Another interesting moment during Elizabeth May’s visit was during her Saturday morning visits to a series of Calgary Stampede breakfasts. People started tweeting that she’d caved on animal rights for a photo op, thinking that her attendance at a Stampede function implied she was attending a calf roping type event.

Elizabeth May’s daughter, Victoria Cate May Burton was monitoring Elizabeth May’s Twitter account. They discussed and responded to the tweet in 15 minutes. I have no idea how other political parties manage their social networks, but clearly a tech-savvy daughter is one effective approach.

Stock footage of Elizabeth May’s visit to Calgary can be found on Internet Archive concerning copyright and volunteering, fund-raising and the economy. Elizabeth’s Twitter and Facebook collaboration with her daughter Victoria Cate is also recyclable via Internet Archive. All footage is creative commons licensed.

Calgary, Elizabeth May, Greens, Pirate Party, Stampede, Twitter

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FOX NEWS vs CANADA

Posted by gordonmcdowell in Politics on March 22nd, 2009

An open letter to FOX NEWS.

      from: gordon mcdowell
        to: brian.lewis@foxnews.com
      date: Fri, Mar 20, 2009 at 5:04 PM
   subject: Could you be any more insulting?
            http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcJn5XlbSFk

While this is not the best example of FOX broadcasting deliberately misleading information, it is a perfect example of an attitude which does not just represent what is wrong with your otherwise fine country. It is literally, exactly & precisely what is wrong with your country. FOX NEWS.

NEWSWEEK POLL – “Do you think Saddam Hussein’s regime in Iraq was directly involved in planning, financing, or carrying out the terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001?”

2003 response: 47% Yes, 37% No, 16% not sure.
2004 response: 42% Yes, 44% No, 14% not sure.
2007 response: 41% Yes, 50% No, 9% not sure.

Saddam Hussein was not responsible in any way for 9/11. The Americans who don’t know this are the ones who consume FOX NEWS. Ask a fellow American if they believe Saddam Hussein was involved in 9/11. Oh he was? Then ask them where they get their news. I promise you they’ll answer “FOX NEWS”. Canadians are well aware of this correlation.

The reason USA is bogged down in 2 wars, instead of having won the Afghanistan war and caught Osama Bin Laden already (with which we continue to help) is because you, working through your employer FOX NEWS, helped the Bush administration convince your fellow citizens of a lie. That “Saddam Hussein was involved in 9/11″.

Likely if there had been no FOX NEWS, there’d have been only one war… the UN sanctioned war. USA would have won. And Canadians wouldn’t be looking south, waiting for the dwindling yet increasingly deranged fans of FOX NEWS to clue in that you don’t have their best interests at heart.

As an employee of FOX NEWS, do you ever stop to wonder what responsibly you might share for American casualties? And those of American allies?

Should my television cable provider ever offer me a bundle which includes FOX NEWS, my response will be a that they please watch the Red Eye clip, and that any inclusion of FOX NEWS would make such a bundle unacceptable.

Gordon McDowell
Calgary, AB, Canada

Brian Lewis, Canada, CRTC, FOX NEWS, license, Red Eye

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0:02:35	Dave Bronconnier, Mayor of Calgary.
0:11:22	Reece Winter, Principal Investigator – Biofuels, SAIT Polytechnic.
0:14:20	Jeff Reading & Carey Booth review day’s objectives.
0:18:01	Rob Macintosh of Green Planet Communications on a Path to Calgary’s Low Carbon Future.
0:43:00	Media Q&A with Dave Bronconnier, Rob Macintosh & Sophie Barry.
0:53:19	Gordon Lambert of Suncor Energy Inc on Tools for Driving Change.
1:02:57	Sophie Barry, youth advocate for the environment.
1:09:40	Pat Letizia of Alberta Ecotrust on leveraging non-profits.
1:19:59	Kim Rowe of Alberta’s Community Development puts attendees to work.
1:21:13	Skid Crease of ECONEXUS theamweaves a narrative of the day’s events.

GORDON MCDOWELL

Oil Sands Debate with Elizabeth May

Calgary’s Low Carbon Future – The Summit

Green Party’s Elizabeth May in Calgary

FOX NEWS vs CANADA

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