We obeyed authority until WW1
We obeyed authority until WW1, then we respected it, until Vietnam when we challenged it, and now with social media we believe we are it. Even in countries without democracy, people have direct democracy powers. However, the winds of change facilitated by the internet and social media did not just blow in an Arab Spring. […]
Apology to Suzuki and Pembina
On behalf of the Suzuki Foundation and the Pembina Institute, Mathew Bramley responded to my blog at this link on the report he authored. Mr. Bramley said I misrepresented his report in two ways. First I did not report the overall conclusion of the report which is that under possible new policies that increase the […]
Is it really news ?
Let’s say we saw in the news most of the tires imported to Quebec leak, or that all the dams built in Quebec leak or that all boilers fabricated in Quebec need to be inspected for leaks or that the ground itself is leaking methane to the surface between Montreal and Quebec. You won’t see […]
Why we suck at PR
The natural gas producers industry is not great at PR because it has never had to be before. First we are not a consumer business and we don’t meet our customers. I don’t get on a plane to come to Montreal and explain why my natural gas is bluer or burns hotter than my competitors. […]
I love Norwegians
Norway is a mere 4.5 million people. The population of British Columbia in one third of the area. This is a country that punches well above its weight. Recent events are proof that bad things do sometimes happen to good people. I have traveled to Norway for twenty years now and the last two companies […]
Elvis is dead!
I don’t agree with the conclusions of the Suzuki Foundation and Pembina Institute report. Anyone surprised? However, they agree Elvis is no longer alive and that’s interesting. I blogged two weeks ago about JFK’s quote that, “The enemy of truth is very often not the lie – deliberate, contrived and dishonest – but the myth […]
Me thinks we all protest too much
The Public Editor of the New York Times publicly chastised the National Editor for a story implying shale gas is a bubble. Industry and many others were outraged by the original article. The National Editor staunchly defended by environmentalists, ‘stands by every word’. I find it all bemusing. If shale gas really is a bubble […]
Stampede
It is Stampede time in Calgary. Over a million people attend the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth every year and it includes the biggest outdoor rodeo. These are ten days when a sophisticated world energy center takes off its suits and dons western garb, reminding everyone why we are called Cowtown. Argentineans may differ, but […]
Thinking global, acting local
Almost 50 % of Quebec’s air pollution comes down the St Lawrence valley from outside Quebec. According to Health Canada, over 8 % of preventable deaths in Quebec and Montreal are smog related. Burning of gasoline, diesel, coal and heating oil releases nitrous oxides, sulphur dioxides not to mention mercury, lead and other heavy metals. […]
Persistent, persuasive and unrealistic
Last May at the US Congress, the head of the EPA joined a long list of environmental and natural resource regulators. Several regulators have issued press releases. Some have gone so far as to make provocative statements in media interviews. They are all saying there are no instances of shale gas fraccing affecting ground water. […]