The Dominion - alberta

Irving Refinery Blues

macdonald — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 13:45:49 +0000

Irving Refinery Blues

Please forgive me-- this may end up seeming like a rant in places, for I simply must get some things off my chest. I hope my prediction that it will make sense by the end is true.

I am a strong proponent of the idea that hitchhiking is simply one of the greatest forms of grassroots journalism. When you enter a new place, the odds are quite high that you are traveling with a local. If this is the case, then you will become immediately armed with “insider” information to which there is little match. The sorts of things I am often lucky to learn, in any case, would certainly not be told in any tourist information booth.

I woke up today in Riviere Du Loup, in Eastern Québec. I made a cold instant coffee and ate some granola bars before wandering across the highway to seek rides further East. I managed three rides fairly easily, each of them pleasant and warm, no hassles and even interesting tangents of separate activity here and there. But what I need to rant about was the ranting of my last ride of the day, a man named Doug who picked me up when I was but one ride from here-- Saint John, New Brunswick.

Toxic Alberta

Van Ferrier — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 00:20:17 +0000

Last winter we decided VBS had to do a story on the Oil Sands of Alberta. So far no American media outlet had comprehensively covered it and even the local press's approach has left a lot to be desired.

Tar Sands and Tankers

Van Ferrier — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 00:16:03 +0000

Enbridge Inc., a Calgary-based pipeline company, wants to bring tar sands tankers to British Columbia's coast. This opening segment will introduce you to the abundance of British Columbia's north coast, which includes the coastal waters of the Great Bear Rainforest.

Tar Sands & Water

Van Ferrier — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 00:04:58 +0000

Interviews with mostly members of the Fort MacKay and Fort Chipewyan communities, discussing cultural and environmental impacts of living downstream of the tar sands

Notes from the Tar Pits: From McMurray to MacKay

macdonald — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 00:58:43 +0000

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Notes from the Tar Pits: From McMurray to MacKay
Macdonald Stainsby
June 14, 2007