North Saskatchewan River Flunks Five Water Quality Tests After Husky Oil Spill

NATIONAL

PBSERVER

The early results are in and they confirm a catastrophic oil spill from a Husky Energy pipeline has contaminated the North Saskatchewan River, says a new report on the incident released by the Calgary-based company on Wednesday. Story here.

TTIP: The Most Dangerous Weapon in the Hands of the Fossil Fuel Industry

bilaterals.org

The TTIP would put in place a parallel judicial system that allows companies to bypass national courts altogether. Story here.

Saskatchewan Government "Unlikely" to Clean All of Husky Oil Spill

NATIONAL 

OBSERVER

The reality of the disastrous Husky oil spill in Saskatchewan is finally starting to sink in — quite literally. Story here.

Once-in-a-Millenium Rainfall Descends on Maryland, Killing 2

CommonDreams

'It looks like a war zone.’ Story here.

Stephen Harper Transforms Canada (and not in a good way). (Editorial)

(I wrote the following at least two years ago, while Stephen Harper was still Prime Minister of Canada. Due to technical limitations, I can't seem to keep it in its chronological place on the blog. So I'm leaving it where it is. Just know Harper is (mercifully) long gone from his post.)

by Larry Powell

Sad, isn’t it? 

Canada’s days as an honest broker and a respected, neutral middle power, are over. Prime Minister Harper has transformed my country from a kinder, gentler peacekeeping nation, which strives to mediate disputes and stay out of despicably unjust wars like Iraq, into a would-be petrostate that takes sides, “smites” our enemies, intimidates those whose views differ from his own and sows seeds of hatred based on culture, religion or gender. He actually declared jihadi terrorists (as brutal and evil as they clearly are) as “the most dangerous enemy our world has ever seen.” Has he already forgotten the millions of allied troops who died fighting far bigger enemies in the great wars of the 20th century? 

USDA Confirms Unapproved GMO Wheat Found in Washington State

THEWESTERN

PRODUCER

Genetically modified wheat developed by Monsanto Co, and never approved by federal regulators, has been found growing in a Washington state farm field, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) said on Friday. Story here.