Council of Canadians Calls for Immediate Halt to Crude Shipments After Derailments and Explosions in Ontario

Common Dreams

ONTARIO - The Council of Canadians is calling on the federal government to immediately halt rail shipments of crude oil in Canada following a series of derailments and explosions. These incidents all involved new rail tank cars promoted by federal Transport Minister Lisa Raitt as being safer than those that exploded in Lac Mégantic, killing 47 people. Story here.

Canadian News Probe Gives Families of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women a Voice

Common Dreams

Underscoring failures of police, many said the call from CBC News was the first time they had been contacted about their relative. Story here.

No More Gentle Reminders: California Naming and Shaming Water Wasters as Drought Intensifies

Canadian Press

California is done with gentle nudges and polite reminders to deal with its devastating drought. Story here.

Life Above the Alberta Tar Sands – Why We're Taking the Government to Court

Oil sands  Keep it in the ground - campaign updates theguardian

Oil spills are threatening our way of life. But indigenous people – with help from the international climate movement – can curtail the industry’s expansion. Story here. 

Canadian Majority Opposes Syrian Airstrikes: Poll

The Hill Times online

Fully 55 per cent of voting-age Canadians oppose the Syrian air strikes, while those who oppose the broader Iraq mission now outnumber those who support it, says a Forum Research poll. Story here.

TransCanada Applies Keystone's Lessons to Energy East Pipeline

(Reuters) - After six years battling bitter opposition to its Keystone XL pipeline project in the United States, TransCanada Corp has learned where and when to pick its fights, to consult early and often - and to retreat when prudent. Story here.

New Publication - Seed Laws That Criminalise Farmers: Resistance and Fightback

La Via Campesina

Peasant seeds – the pillar of food production – are under attack everywhere. Under corporate pressure, laws in many countries... Story here. 

Attend Important Climate Conference

On April 11, Canada’s premiers are heading to Quebec City to talk climate.  Confirm your presence here. 

Northern Fires Caused Almost a Quarter of Global Forest Loss, Study Shows

theguardian

Forest fires destroyed vast areas of woodland in Canada and Russia between 2011 and 2013, greatly contributing to greenhouse gas emissions that cause climate change, satellite data reveals. Story here.

Related: Only 'Heroic Efforts' Will Spare Earth's Mighty Boreal Forest From the Worst Ravages of Climate Change.

In Dry California, Thirsty Oil and Big-Ag Industries Exempt from Water Regulations

Common Dreams

Despite historic drought, Governor Jerry Brown has not put restrictions on oil drilling and fracking, but is focusing on urban usage of water. Story here.

Deepwater Oil Spill: BP Steps up PR Effort to Insist all is Well in the Gulf of Mexico

the guardian

Could pelicans like this, in far-away Manitoba, 

Canada, even contain remnants of the spill? PinP photo.

Oil giant says area is making a rapid recovery but evidence mounts that wildlife is still struggling to rebound, five years after Deepwater Horizon spill. Story here.