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This article by CBC describes the current state of pollution caused by tar sand operations in Alberta. A field study conducted proved that the reported pollutants were significantly lower (at least 20 times lower) than the actual amounts of toxic waste being produced.

I chose this website to showcase the measure of pollution caused by Canadian oil operations. Adverse chemical combinations are regularly pumped into the atmosphere with little to no regulation. There is no sign of any restriction being imposed upon the production of this material by the government.

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Alberta's oilsands pump out more pollutants than industry reports, scientists find | CBC News

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Alberta's oilsands operations produce far more potentially harmful air pollutants than officially recorded - putting the daily output on par with those from gridlocked megacities like Los Angeles, new research suggests.

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The oil industry has an enormous direct correlation with both our environment and economy. We deserve to know how it is being used, how it is being produced, and what say we have in these matters.

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The Environmental Defense Fund is an organization with over one million participants. In this form, the detriments the government is causing by way of further subsidizing and loaning money to big oil corporations. The form expresses the way lobbying against this cause has raised great sums of money towards green energy production. I chose this website because I wanted to showcase a way that people were becoming active about this problem in their day-to-day lives. It mentions carbon capture, something that the government was willing to invest money into at the behest of another oil company.

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For decades, oil and gas companies have profited from harmful activities that fuel the climate crisis, and pollute land and water. These fossil fuels are the primary cause of climate disasters, like wildfires and floods, that are costing people their lives and homes across Canada and around the world.

Oil and gas lobbyists are using their influence to extract tax breaks and handouts from the Canadian government. And it's working. Last year, the Government of Canada provided over $20 billion in financial support to oil and gas companies.

Now Big Oil wants Canadians to pay for their latest greenwashing scheme: carbon capture. These technologies are dangerous and ineffective - yet Minister Freeland and the Government of Canada are giving companies billions for their carbon capture plans. Enough is enough.

This is a critical time for Canada's climate future. The federal government has the power to put Canada on a path to a healthier, more resilient and more equitable future. But if the federal government continues to bend to the pressure of the oil and gas companies, Canada will remain one of the worst contributors to the global climate crisis.

There's no two ways about it: the Canadian government has to stand up to the oil and gas industry and end fossil fuel subsidies. Take action today and tell the federal government to stop using our tax dollars to finance pollution, environmental destruction, and injustice.

Your letter will be sent to: Your local MP, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Hon. Chrystia Freeland, Minister of Finance and Deputy Prime Minister, Hon. Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Hon. Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources and Hon. François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry.

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There is NO LIMIT on the amount of carbon pollution that the oil and gas industry can release. We're in a climate crisis - it's time to END Fossil Fuel Pollution! We need to put the interests of the canadian public ahead of oil and gas companies in order to stay on track to keep our climate promises.

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I chose this picture of an oil spill because it shows how polluted an ecosystem can become at our discarded waste. This is highly toxic for the lifeforms inside of that body of water.

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This video lists different safety measures the Canadian government has in place to prevent these spills from ever happening. These can include regular ship inspection or requirement of emergency protocols. It then goes on to describe the procedures followed if an oil spill does happen, who is responsible, and how it is cleaned.

I chose this video because of the huge impact marine pollution can have on the environment. Oil spills still happen regularly and require constant vigilance and care. Not only do they affect the wildlife, but they impact our lives as well even if it is not always blatantly apparent.

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Marine Safety 101: What Happen When a Ship Spills Oil in Canadian Waters

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This website discusses the finite lifespan of oil and other unrenewable goods. Keeping this in mind, it also pays mind to the billions of people without access to what appear as simple things to one such as myself including clean water and electricity. It describes a dilemma in which on one hand, it could be argued that now is the time to push for more energy research and production than ever due to those lacking.

I chose this website because it pushes in the direction of research towards renewable and accessible resources. It is not feasible that this could be accomplished easily, or quickly, but it is clear that we are running out of time. Additionally, our consumption is exponential- it does not even increase at a linear rate.

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Toxic waste levels going unreported was news to me. I did not expect for the actual levels to be so inflated compared to the official findings.

I've always been interested in environmental issues, and my gas prices are directly affected by this one.

I would tell my family and friends to look into jobs in the oil industry. This research has not improved my view of the oil industry, and since it is projected to continue I would like to profit.

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This video shows us the inside of the struggle between those running the tar sand operations in Alberta and those openly opposing it. It takes us to Shell property, and includes an interview of the CEO of one of the worlds leading oil companies. It also includes bits from a civilian woman from Greenpeaks. She lists the harmful metals produced in oil production and vouches for her surrounding community by acknowledging those who had ownership of the land for many years before those who live there now.

I chose this video because it is a primary source of information on the struggle in between the two parties. It shows a personal viewpoint and includes multiple encounters the reporters had with actual Shell employees.

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This video describes the physical appearance of the tar sand operations in Alberta from a fly by in a helicopter. The billowing white clouds of smog against the dull industrial gray of the emissions warehouse paints a picture less than pretty. It discusses the finer points of oil harvesting and its harmful effects on the surrounding community, one of them being creating waste spaces.

I chose this video because it shows us what citizens are doing about this issue. Not only that, but people from around the local area. It was a compelling story that was told by one woman interviewed in this video of growing up and slowly seeing more oil wells appear around her community

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Nordea Funds | The environmental impact of tar sands | Active ownership

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Naythan Lambert

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In this excerpt of a news report items discussed include the millions of taxpayers dollars used to pay for a pipeline that will not end up turning a profit. Despite the reduced prices Canada gets to export at due to the Trans Mountain pipeline, this project will fail to increase the wallet of the country in the short term. The talkers touch upon the fact that gas is still an energy giant and will continue being an energy giant in the future.

I chose this video because it paints a realistic picture of where the Canadian oil output stands in terms of longevity and profit. It also discusses the possibility of having too many or too little pipelines to sustain the oil production, which I also found interesting.

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From this website it's apparent that Canada has not been keeping its promises regarding oil production. In 2009, Canada made steps towards a greener economy by promising to stop subsidizing oil production companies. Even in this time of oil abundance in Canada or perhaps in light of the abundance of oil, the government has even given these companies more than what is necessary.

I chose this article because it highlights what direction to move in concerning oil production. We are transitioning into a society where oil production jobs will be made obsolete and incompetent by more environment friendly energy producing solutions. Preparation is required by the government in order for this to happen smoothly.

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The clock is ticking on two of the federal government's promises to make tangible progress to stop subsidizing and funding fossil fuels by the end of 2022. But the government continues to provide huge support to the industry, and while lower than the previous year, it is still over CAD 8.6 billion.

So what's the holdup? It largely comes down to one tricky word: inefficient.

In 2009, Canada promised to end so-called "inefficient" fossil fuel subsidies, stating last year it would do so by 2023.

And yet, with six months before 2023 hits, Canada still hasn't clarified what "inefficient" - a term first introduced in the G20 commitment in 2009 - actually means. Canada also pledged to end public finance for fossil fuels, including ending all new support for unabated coal, oil and gas projects overseas by the end of 2022. But can public finance for fossil fuels within Canada be considered "efficient"?

While some industry players rally to benefit from the current energy crisis, Canada must not cave to pressure from oil and gas companies to ramp up production. Rather than using "inefficient" as a loophole to water down commitments, Canada should act swiftly to move money from fossil fuels to renewables and head to COP 27 in Egypt this November with something to show.

A starting point would be for the government to define inefficiency and align all spending with four key directives: supporting a sustainable economy, creating good long-term jobs, respecting climate commitments, and using taxpayer dollars most effectively. The Canadian Climate Institute has similarly called for government spending to reflect climate imperatives.

Support a sustainable economy

As global economies transition from fossil fuels, the government must keep Canada's economy competitive by focusing on industries with strong long-term economic prospects, such as renewable energy.

From 2018 to 2020, Canada provided 14.5 times more financing to fossil fuels than renewables. Putting public money into fossil fuels diverts it from other priorities and risks creating stranded assets taxpayers may be on the hook for, alongside the rising costs of climate change.

The Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project is one example of how these liabilities can take shape. Since the federal government bought the project and put over CAD 11 billion in loans towards it, construction costs have ballooned to CAD 21.4 billion, leading the Parliamentary Budget Officer to declare it " clearly not profitable." Despite this, the government approved a new CAD 10 billion loan guarantee for the project, putting even more public money on the line.

Create good, long-term jobs

Rather than supporting oil and gas companies that are making record profits, Canada's government should focus on people. Nearly 200,000 workers are employed directly in oil and gas. Many more depend on the industry indirectly. All these workers deserve support to ensure the energy transition opens more doors than it closes.

A 2021 poll found that 88 percent of oil and gas workers want training for jobs in the clean economy. And it would only cost half what the government put towards fossil fuels in 2020 to upskill a million workers over 10 years. Job growth in renewables is far outpacing oil and gas and is expected to grow by nearly 50 percent over the next eight years while the fossil fuel industry cuts back.

Respect our climate commitments

The government's climate targets, including reaching net-zero by 2050, are another metre stick to assess federal support.

Support for fossil fuels moves us away from climate goals. Subsidies for cutting emissions from oil and gas production, like the new investment tax credit for carbon capture and storage estimated to cost CAD 7.2 billion by 2030, may appear positive. But putting public funds towards expensive and unproven technologies is economically risky. These types of measures could prolong fossil fuel production, increasing overall emissions.

Get the best value for taxpayer dollars

Given the scale of the climate challenge, every dollar counts. The government should ensure taxpayer money is used most effectively to meet social, environmental and economic goals. If a subsidy or tax break aims to create jobs, those funds should go to promising opportunities in fast-growing clean industries, rather than jobs in, for example, the oil and gas industry, which will likely be short-lived.

With less than six months left on key deadlines to end fossil fuel support, there is no time to lose. Canadian taxpayers can no longer subsidize the problem - they deserve to fund the solutions.

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Time's Running Out on Canada's Inefficient CAD 8.6 Billion of Support for Big Oil

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The clock is ticking on two of the federal government's promises to make tangible progress to stop subsidizing and funding fossil fuels by the end of 2022. But the government continues to provide huge support to the industry, and while lower than the previous year, it is still over CAD 8.6 billion.

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I chose this image because it is uplifting to me. It depicts a worker aiding in the cleanup of a huge oil spill. These measures prevent our environment from irreversible damage.