Members of our group took to the streets around the G20 Summit in Toronto with concerns about climate change, the Alberta tar sands, assaults on native sovereignty, and other environmental injustices. The Summit police in Toronto threatened, searched, arrested, and detained Climate Justice London activists, while other local climate justice activists stayed away from Toronto to avoid the G20 police regime. Our dissent was not permitted at the Summit. In fact, anyone who was outdoors in downtown Toronto was a potential target for the snatch squads, the riot cops, the mounted horse brigades, and thousands of other police at the Summit. Our allies and our friends were pulled into this ‘security’ sweep, and all of us are left wondering which of the local police officers we encounter have brought their G20 summit training and hostility back to our cities.
Because we condemn this trampling of civil liberties, and because we always will call for democracy and social justice, members of our group have taken on leading roles in preparing a statement about police conduct and detention conditions at the G20 summit in Toronto. People for Peace (London) activists helped to develop that London-specific version of the original statement from Toronto. We hope that more Londoners will sign on to communicate their support.
Threats to our civil liberties will make it even more difficult to continue campaigning against environmental injustices — in a non-violent manner, without destructive sabotage tactics.
March 3rd was a day of action against tar sands financing from RBC (the Royal Bank of Canada).
Here are various photos, video, and writing about the actions that day — in several Canadian cities.
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In Toronto
4 of us went out to Toronto to join the protesting there. We brought a banner and signs. Here are remarks about other contributions that our London delegation made that day.
“Canadians increasingly live in a confusion of values. A 2008 survey by the Globe and Mail found that while 79 percent of respondents said the tar sands are good for Alberta and Canada, more than half of those respondents (55 percent) said that the sands were not good for the environment. The obvious contradiction can be justified only by minimizing or disconnecting oneself from the importance of [natural environments]. The problem is that global warming and the rapid dying out of species makes this level of self-deception increasingly dangerous.”
“Canada –already the largest oil supplier to the U.S.–pumped out record exports south of the border this summer, as Alberta’s oilsands crude fill the gaps left by competitors.
U.S. imports of crude oil from Canada rose 5.4 per cent in July to the highest monthly level in at least 36 years, according to figures released by the U.S. Energy Department.”
“Canada is the largest exporter of crude oil to the U.S. and has increased the amount it ships as OPEC countries have cut back.
“Oil Change’s Kenny Bruno has just visited the region as part of a delegation of environmental groups. Here is his first dispatch, which is the first of three posts from Kenny..
Kenny writes: ‘As we approached the tar sands area in a small plane coming from the First Nation community of Fort Chipewyan in Northern Alberta, an experienced visitor tried to scare me: ‘You Are Entering Mordor.’
For those unfamiliar with the Dark Lord Sauron’s dwelling place in The Lord of the Rings series, imagine the landscape He Who Shall Not Be Named might choose if he could vanquish Harry Potter and retire to Brobdingnag. Or just think of Hell.
‘There are a lot of polluted places on this planet, but the nightmare vision presented by Athabasca tar sands is unique, because the area is a complex of three types of polluting facilities, all on colossal scale.’
“I used to worry for my grandchildren. Now there is a fairly high probability that I will experience the more severe effects of climate change at first hand.”
- Jeremy
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Matt Price (of Environmental Defence) and Allan Adam (of Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation) address issues surrounding the Albertan tar sands
in an Ottawa Citizen op ed (February 21st)
Joseph Romm on a Chinese liquid coal plant (February 21st) -
“Nothing is worse for the climate than large scale coal-to-liquids. Not even the tar sands.”
Mark Trevelyan in Reuters -
“Cheap, renewable energy years away: Shell” (February 21st) [via Sharon Astyk] -
“The world faces a doubling of energy demand by 2050 but renewable sources are still too expensive and will take decades to make a big impact, Royal Dutch Shell CEO Jeroen van der Veer said”
Andy Rowell - “[Tar] Sands Firms See Record Year” -
“The Canadian oil industry is poised for record year with 2008 profits rising 18 per cent to nearly $23 billion”
Richard Littlemore at DeSmogBlog -
“Environment Canada’s Muzzle Mandate Available for Viewing” (February 25th) -
“We now have a copy (attached) of the new Media Relations Protocol with which Environment Canada is muzzling its scientists.”
