Canada's Tar Sands

Canada’s tar sands are the fastest-growing source of greenhouse gas emissions in Canada, and threaten an area of boreal forest the size of Florida. We need real action to fight pollution and the climate crisis. It’s time for our governments to phase out the tar sands.


All Canadians are impacted by the tar sands, regardless of where you live in the country. If you live downstream, your water is being polluted with toxins, and your fish and wildlife may be dangerous to eat. In Saskatchewan, you are impacted by acid rain caused by tar sands pollution. In BC, oil supertankers are plying your shoreline carrying tar sands oil, and the Gateway Pipeline proposal would span northern BC, crossing about a thousand rivers and streams, and leaving them at risk to toxic spills, breaches and ruptures. In Ontario, you are exposed to harmful emissions from the refining of tar sands oil. Most importantly, no matter where you live in Canada, your desire to tackle the global climate crisis is being held hostage to the tar sands.

Instead of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, Canada is quickly increasing them, and fully half of that emissions growth is projected to come from the tar sands. Additionally, because Canada’s elected officials refuse to clamp down on tar sands operators, they also refuse to clamp down on other greenhouse gas producing industry across Canada for fear of a double standard.

But while Canadians are still beleaguered with political complicity in tar sands pollution, looking south of the border, there are signs that dirty tar sands oil may no longer be wanted.

In 2008, American decision-makers were only too glad to fuel their cars with Canada’s tar sands oil, despite all evidence that this was perilously fueling the climate crisis. However, when President Barack Obama announced during his victory speech that “change has come to America”, people around the world who are concerned about climate change had reason to be optimistic. Since then, Canadian citizens concerned about the damage wrought by the tar sands have taken heart with Obama’s position on ending the use of dirty fossil fuels, starting with the dirtiest ones such as tar sands oil.

Despite all this, here in Canada, our federal and provincial governments are still not dealing with the tremendous negative impacts of the tar sands.

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Recent Developments

2 days 5 hours ago

Prime Minister Harper is in China all week, and he has a number of top oil executives with him on the delegation.

3 weeks 6 days ago

All eyes are now on the public hearing process for the proposed Northern Gateway Pipeline that would bring tar sands crude across the salmon bearing rivers and pristine wilderness of northern British Columbia.

8 weeks 11 hours ago

Did you hear about the historic announcement earlier this month about the Save the Fraser Declaration?

Take Action

Contact Prime Minister Harper about the Tar Sands
The tar sands have a negative impact on the human health of workers and surrounding communities, the wild species of nothern Alberta, and the desires of Canadians everywhere to take real action on climate change.
 

The Wilderness Committee is calling for the government to pass a real cap on carbon emissions, respect aboriginal title and rights in the area, and enforce air, water and forest protection regulations.

Get in touch with Prime Minister Harper and tell him what you think about tar sands development and it's impact across the country!
 

Prime Minister Stephen Harper

Office of the Prime Minister, 80 Wellington Street, Ottawa K1A 0A2

pm@pm.gc.ca 613 992 4211

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Tuesday, April 26, 2011 (All day)
Monday, March 14, 2011 (All day)

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Wednesday, December 7, 2011 (All day)
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