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Leather Pass Chronicles News Views and little known truths from the Canadian Rockies... |
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E-NEWS NOW ONLINE
A year to bond and Juan Helluva Night
Victorias Secret, Caribou and Indian Giving NOVEMBER 2006 Ah, November - its all about the weather
Community museums are key to culture
The Who, Trailer Park Boys and Mel Hurtig
Tom Thomson and the Pine Beetle
Is that a Mexican Flag on the Banff Springs?
Green Party on the right track
Neufeld Watchel and Watchel
UNESCO's Indigenous Peoples Day
Heritage Day
From Fiddler on the Roof to Fiddler on the Rails Traditions made new again, First Nations art Bikeology and Caribou MAY 2006
On MountainTop Rock
COMING SOON Foothills Mens Chorus Artists on Rails
Cowboy Poetry Gathering
SPECIAL Jasper Volunteer Fire Dept in action Other VideoLogs by DTMI
Webcasts will be available on line for a limited amount of time. They will be archived and available upon request after that.
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NOVEMBER 2006 Ah, November - its all about the weather Road closures, climate change and water
Updated: November 12th, 2006 THE LEATHER PASS, Alberta - From my window in downtown Jasper it is hard to imagine any kind of water shortage. Rain and snow seem to be plentiful this month. So plentiful that two weeks ago a multi vehicle pileup on our icy roads closed one of Canada's busiest highways. I was one of the hundreds of Jasperites who were unable to get home for 14 hours - even though I was only 25 minutes away from my house. So plentiful that our ski hill may open early. So plentiful that the lower mainland of BC is flooding and sliding...
Maybe that's why the water concerns we are hearing about are falling under the label of Climate Change. "Water availability in the populated and large water-use areas of Canada is expected to fall as a result of climate change. At the same time, energy demands and oil sands production in Canada are expected to continue to rise. Methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, is emitted from tailing ponds, which in 2004 were considered the largest structures on the earth created by humans - over 50 square kilometres and growing." (Excerpt from a report called "Implications of a two degree Celsius global temperature rise on Canada's water resources" CBC News Nov 13/06)
This report was followed today by the news that oil sand development in Fort Mac has been given approval to move ahead in early 2007.
Being in Alberta we most certainly know about change. Like the changes we are seeing with one of the biggest oil and gas booms ever. Labour shortages, escalating costs of living, housing shortages, social problems... Like Raj Pannu says, "Boom for whom?"
DR DAVID SCHINDLER, "Short on Water"
May 2006 June 2006 July 2006 August 2006 Sept 2006 Oct 2006
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