Close X
Tuesday, November 26, 2024
ADVT 
National

Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall Urges Oil Industry To Fight Celebrity Critics With 'Facts'

The Canadian Press, 17 Sep, 2015 05:42 PM
    REGINA — Saskatchewan's premier is urging the oil and gas industry to do a better job selling itself or risk losing the battle for public opinion to celebrity critics who he says have unrealistic ideas on how quickly the world can kick carbon.
     
    Brad Wall told the Canadian Energy Pipeline Association there is a growing, vocal minority that want the industry shut down completely and they are influencing policy-makers.
     
    "We're at some disadvantage when it comes to this argument. The other side has great scientific minds speaking out for them, like Neil Young and Daryl Hannah," Wall said Thursday, referencing the rock singer and "Splash" actress who have been outspoken in their opposition to the oilsands and pipelines.
     
    "We don't have a lot of glamour on our side ... but here is something else we have. We have facts.
     
    "I humbly suggest to this group today that we urgently redouble our efforts to present the facts, to be disseminators of them, to be purveyors of the truth."
     
    Wall said resource proponents need to emphasize the steps Canada takes to protect the environment through advancements in technology such as carbon capture and storage. And the pipeline industry must also emphasize safety advantages to transporting oil by pipe rather than rail.
     
    He said while getting the world off fossil fuels is a laudable goal, it's "magical thinking" to believe that it can be done quickly and painlessly.
     
    Renewable resource technology is getting better, he said, but it's not at the point where it can be solely relied upon, especially at peak times. 
     
    "Have you noticed that there is just not as many people calling for an end to fossil fuels in January in Canada?," he said. "I've certainly noticed that. The fact is, with current technology, renewables can take us only so far right now."
     
    Wall, who is facing an election in his province next year, has been an outspoken supporter of the oil and gas industry — including the proposed Energy East and Keystone XL pipelines — and he's taken on that role with increased vigour since the election of an NDP government in neighbouring Alberta.

    MORE National ARTICLES

    Nathaniel Jessup, 28, Charged With Abduction Attempts Of 2 Young Girls In Stanley Park

    Nathaniel Jessup, 28, Charged With Abduction Attempts Of 2 Young Girls In Stanley Park
    Twenty-eight-year-old Nathaniel Jessup is accused of two counts of assault and one count of forcible confinement.

    Nathaniel Jessup, 28, Charged With Abduction Attempts Of 2 Young Girls In Stanley Park

    Man Accused In Toronto Office Stabbing Rampage Found Not Criminally Responsible

    Man Accused In Toronto Office Stabbing Rampage Found Not Criminally Responsible
    An Ontario judge said his decision in Chuang Li's case was "an extremely close call," but he ultimately found the 49-year-old not criminally responsible due to a mental disorder.

    Man Accused In Toronto Office Stabbing Rampage Found Not Criminally Responsible

    B.C. Teen Nicholas Hannon's Death Leads To First-Degree Murder Charges Against Three Friends

    B.C. Teen Nicholas Hannon's Death Leads To First-Degree Murder Charges Against Three Friends
    First-degree murder charges have been laid against three young men, more than 18 months after the disappearance of their friend.

    B.C. Teen Nicholas Hannon's Death Leads To First-Degree Murder Charges Against Three Friends

    Victoria-Area Inmate Walks Out Of Jail Following Accidental Release from Custody

    Victoria-Area Inmate Walks Out Of Jail Following Accidental Release from Custody
    A warrant has been issued for a 30-year-old inmate from the Vancouver Island Regional Correctional Centre after he was accidentally released from custody.

    Victoria-Area Inmate Walks Out Of Jail Following Accidental Release from Custody

    Calgary Hunting Organization Decides To Move Zoo Fundraiser To New Venue

    Calgary Hunting Organization Decides To Move Zoo Fundraiser To New Venue
    CALGARY — An international hunting group has decided to move its fundraiser away from its scheduled venue at the Calgary Zoo.

    Calgary Hunting Organization Decides To Move Zoo Fundraiser To New Venue

    Coalition Talk Comes Up In Tight Race As Post-Labour Day Kicks Campaign Off

    Coalition Talk Comes Up In Tight Race As Post-Labour Day Kicks Campaign Off
    That raised the possibility of cross-party alliances, including the contentious coalition question, which also reared its head, as it did in last federal campaign.

    Coalition Talk Comes Up In Tight Race As Post-Labour Day Kicks Campaign Off