Probe Demanded After Worst Alberta Oil Spill in Four Decades

 By Darcy Henton, Calgary Herald May 5, 2011

Read more here.

An Update on Manitoba's & Saskatchewan's (Climate-Spawned?) Flooding

-by Larry Powell
In the community of Eriksdale, north of Winnipeg, flooding is now threatening homes, the hospital and personal care home. 



A farm home near Yorkton, SK, isolated by floodwaters.

A flood warning is in effect for the Dauphin Lake Basin, including Parkland and the Duck Mountains, especially once the snow melts & there's lots of that yet to come. Runoff from Riding Mountain has already increased the flows of the Valley, Vermillion and Ochre Rivers significantly. The Turtle River has risen by over a meter (4 ft) since Monday! 

Runoff from both the "Ducks" and Riding Mountain are adding significantly to the flow of the Assiniboine River. Because of a swollen Assiniboine, points downstream, St. Lazare, Brandon, Portage and Winnipeg are still under a continuous and prolonged flood watch. Conditions on the Assiniboine have been affected by the same blizzard and heavy rains which struck a wide area last weekend.

The huge Lake of the Prairies near the Saskatchewan border (the Shellmouth Reservoir) was "drawn down" to extremely low levels in recent weeks to accomodate expected crests from upstream. 

A dry spillway at Shellmouth Dam (late April)

Those crests have now arrived and 10,000 cubic feet per second is now flowing over the dam and will be for the next couple of days! (see video - May 3rd.) 

As has already been stated in this space, this is the largest flood, in area, ever recorded in this province. Flood waters affect communities in virtually all parts, from the Pas, south. Cool weather and wet conditions will mean continued flood misery well into the summer.

Hundres of people remain displaced, hundreds of roads are closed and scores of "states of emergencies" have been declared. 

Flooding on the Red is described as the 3rd worst in a-century-&-a-half.

UN Targets Widely-Used Pesticide Endosulfan for Phase-Out

Geneva, 3 May 2011

 

Representatives from 127 Governments meeting in Geneva last week agreed to add endosulfan to the United Nations' list of persistent organic pollutants to be eliminated worldwide. Details here.

Voting System Cheats Canadians Again - Fair Vote Canada

Fair Vote Canada - May 3, 2011
 
Canada’s national citizens’ movement for voting reform has released an analysis of Tuesday’s federal election results showing that the outcome does not accurately reflect the way Canadians voted. 
Details here.

A Small Step Forward

by Larry Powell 

Last winter, I asked CBC Manitoba to start announcing atmospheric C02 levels on their weathercasts. (See "CBC Manitoba Thinks Nothing Can Be Done About Climate Change!)

C02 levels cause global warming, melting ice caps and glaciers, rising sea levels, droughts, floods, blizzards, tornadoes, cyclones, hurricanes, and ice storms. Safe levels are 350 ppm or below. They have already been way above that for some time.

At the time of my request, the CBC said it would be "inflammatory" to announce such levels. 

But I finally did convince their broadcast meteorologist,  John Sauder, to place a link to C02 atmospheric levels on his website, "John Sauder's Forecast." 
(Lower left.)


Thank you, John! You have done the public a real service! l.p.

Soggy Fields Put Northern U.S. Farmers on Tight Deadline

Manitoba Co-operator - Apr 29'11 - By: Suzanne Cosgrove -Chicago | Reuters

Conditions described here are hardly confined to the US. Vast farm fields, such as this one near Winnipeg in March, were covered by snow-melt in another vast flooding event. l.p.
Incessant rains have turned Indiana farmer Larry Winger's grain fields into ponds, making it impossible for him to seed his corn crop. Details here.

Fossil Fuel Industry Gives us Cause to be Skeptical

Science Matters - David Suzuki  
The priority for people who run oil companies is to maximize profits. Details here.