Category Archives: Canadian Politics

Why Climate leaders sometimes build pipelines – understanding the climate implications of the Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion Project

Posted on September 21, 2021 by Blair

One of the most common refrains of the activist community during our recent federal election was the line “climate leaders don’t build pipelines“. As I will explain in this blog post, this refrain, while catchy, is wrong. I have written … Continue reading →

Posted in Canadian Politics, Pipelines, Trans Mountain | 2 Comments

Understanding the rules for exporting plastic waste – what the activists keep getting wrong

Posted on July 7, 2021 by Blair

As part of my ongoing discussion of plastic regulation in Canada, I ended up in an enlightening discussion on Twitter. It wasn’t enlightening for what it taught me about the handling of plastic waste; rather it was enlightening in that … Continue reading →

Posted in Canadian Politics, Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Debunking the claim that there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish by 2050

Posted on June 13, 2021 by Blair

In my last post I wrote On the proposed Canadian plastics bans – Part 1: How the Government created useful “facts” for its scary headlines and how “facts” are being created, essentially out of thin air, to be used as activist … Continue reading →

Posted in Canadian Politics, Chemistry and Toxicology, Uncategorized | 3 Comments

Why an environmental scientist is so often critical of environmental activists

Posted on March 2, 2021 by Blair

As an environmental scientist, I am regularly asked why I seem so critical of environmental activists and environmental NGOs. My answer is simple: because the people who should be speaking out when environmental activists and environmental NGOs make ridiculous claims … Continue reading →

Posted in Canadian Politics, Environmentalism and Ecomodernism, Uncategorized | 9 Comments

Why the cancellation of Keystone XL is bad for the climate, the environment and Canada

Posted on January 20, 2021 by Blair

By now we all know that President Biden has cancelled the Presidential Permit for the Keystone XL (KXL) pipeline. Needless to say climate activists have gleefully celebrated the decision. But as I pointed out on Twitter, cancelling KXL will not … Continue reading →

Posted in Canadian Politics, Pipelines, Uncategorized | 6 Comments

Another day, another flawed CCPA report, this time about the Trans Mountain Expansion Project

Posted on October 30, 2020 by Blair

Yesterday, I was directed to a new report by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA) about the Trans Mountain Expansion (TMX) project. As I have written previously, every time I get a notification about one of their reports, I … Continue reading →

Posted in Canadian Politics, Pipelines, Trans Mountain, Uncategorized | 11 Comments

Revisiting activist myths about the Trans Mountain Pipeline – or Why Climate leaders may sometimes need to build pipelines

Posted on August 18, 2020 by Blair

Activists are trying to get the Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion Project (TMX) back in the news. On my social media feed I first saw Dr. Tim Takaro hanging in a tree then watched him as he was replaced by YouTuber … Continue reading →

Posted in Canadian Politics, Pipelines, Renewable Energy, Trans Mountain, Uncategorized | 11 Comments

No Rising Carbon Dioxide Concentrations will not make us Stupider – Confusing Acute versus Chronic effects of Elevated Carbon Dioxide Concentrations on Human Cognition

Posted on April 26, 2020 by Blair

I am a professional Chemist whose practice includes occupational health and safety and risk assessment. I did my first indoor air assessment involving “sick building syndrome” in 2001 and have done countless indoor air assessments in the last two decades. … Continue reading →

Posted in Canadian Politics, Uncategorized | 2 Comments

How new puritans, petty bureaucrats and irresponsible activists risk eroding the public will necessary to fight Coronavirus

Posted on April 15, 2020 by Blair

Watching and reading the news this weekend three stories caused me a lot of worry. Consider the following three headlines: Physical distancing ‘loopholes’ need to stop, Ottawa health official says; Oakville, Ont., family hit with $880 ticket after going rollerblading; … Continue reading →

Posted in Canadian Politics, Uncategorized | 9 Comments

Winding Down BC’s Fossil Fuel Industries – another CCPA report that just doesn’t cut it

Posted on March 4, 2020 by Blair

This morning I was directed to a new report by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA). As I have written previously, every time I get a notification about one of their reports, I hope that it will present an evidence-based analysis … Continue reading →

Posted in Canadian Politics, Climate Change, LNG, Uncategorized | 6 Comments