tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8524070301101240472.post8769499392287016071..comments2023-09-28T08:13:11.489-07:00Comments on Only In It For The Gold: Major Cuts to Environment CanadaMichael Tobishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08229460438349093944noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8524070301101240472.post-69354022305407600282011-10-03T18:25:59.621-07:002011-10-03T18:25:59.621-07:00It's disgusting the way the Harper Government ...It's disgusting the way the Harper Government is treating science and scientists.<br /><br />The only people who should be muzzled are dishonest spokespersons such as Mark Johnson.Ian Forresterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04034328294553186459noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8524070301101240472.post-57442906045532618682011-10-03T11:54:19.346-07:002011-10-03T11:54:19.346-07:00Gaping hole opened in Arctic ozone layer
'Un...<a href="http://www.montrealgazette.com/technology/Gaping+hole+opened+Arctic+ozone+layer/5491958/story.html" rel="nofollow">Gaping hole opened in Arctic ozone layer<br /> <br />'Unprecedented'; Harmful radiation hit Earth, says study in which Canadian team played key role</a><br /><br />A huge Arctic ozone hole opened up over the Northern Hemisphere for the first time this year, an international research team reported Sunday.<br /><br />The hole covered 2 million square kilometres - about twice the size of Ontario - and allowed high levels of harmful ultraviolet radiation to hit large swaths of northern Canada, Europe and Russia this spring, the 29 scientists say.<br /><br /><b>The discovery of the "unprecedented" hole comes as the Canadian government is moving to reduce staff in what Environment Minister Peter Kent calls the "streamlining" of its ozone monitoring network.<br /><br />Environment Canada scientist David Tarasick, whose team played a key role in the report published Sunday in the journal Nature, is not allowed to discuss the discovery with the media.<br /><br />Environment Canada told Postmedia News that an interview with Tarasick "cannot be granted." Tarasick is one of several Environment Canada ozone scientists who have received letters warning of possible "discontinuance of job function" as part of the downsizing underway in the department.</b>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8524070301101240472.post-81755577240084651342011-09-29T03:55:27.747-07:002011-09-29T03:55:27.747-07:00Mr. Mark Johnson didn't reply to Mr. Ian Forre...Mr. Mark Johnson didn't reply to Mr. Ian Forrester's reply. EC should get some <a href="http://www.isocampus.com/iso-14001-training-online-courses/" rel="nofollow">ISO 14001 Training</a> to know that what they should really have to focus in the environment.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17189812002468352292noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8524070301101240472.post-91510511859929892222011-09-22T08:59:57.092-07:002011-09-22T08:59:57.092-07:00The recent Nature article entitled "Canadian ...The recent Nature article entitled "Canadian ozone network faces axe" can be seen here:<br /><br />http://www.nature.com/news/2011/110912/full/477257a.htmlIan Forresterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04034328294553186459noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8524070301101240472.post-64511416243468073672011-09-21T23:45:50.074-07:002011-09-21T23:45:50.074-07:00One more article about different stories coming fr...One more article about different stories coming from the Environment Minister and his Assistant Deputy Minister than what we've heard from the scientists, who were not allowed to speak to the media today:<br /><br />http://www.canada.com/technology/Environment+minister+defensive+over+ozone+monitoring+cuts/5438532/story.htmlHolly Stickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01137842937086115228noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8524070301101240472.post-50858693855649288692011-09-21T13:48:50.602-07:002011-09-21T13:48:50.602-07:00More about the cuts to ozone monitoring. Kent shou...More about the cuts to ozone monitoring. Kent should not complain about anyone spreading misinformation when he himself has been known to blather about that lie "ethical oil".:<br /><br />http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/story/2011/09/21/environment-canada-ozone-cuts.htmlHolly Stickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01137842937086115228noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8524070301101240472.post-50997719506819141882011-09-21T12:49:08.395-07:002011-09-21T12:49:08.395-07:00And maybe Mark Johnson could advise us on how soon...And maybe Mark Johnson could advise us on how soon Environment Canada expects the tarsands to make whooping cranes extinct. <br /><br />But since the Harperites gutted the Canadian Wildlife Service a few years ago, I don't know if anyone is carrying on the whooping crane conservation program that Canadians used to be so proud of.<br /><br />http://raventrust.com/blog/2011-09/making-cents-of-the-tar-sands.html<br /><br />http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/story/2011/07/15/whooping-cranes-oilsands-report.html<br /><br />http://edmonton.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20110711/whooping-cranes-oilsands-alberta-110711/20110711/?hub=EdmontonHomeHolly Stickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01137842937086115228noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8524070301101240472.post-43656855952257316252011-09-21T12:39:03.007-07:002011-09-21T12:39:03.007-07:00Holly's right on the money here - the Harperit...Holly's right on the money here - the Harperites incubated in Alberta, and this smacks of Alberta government policy with regard to environmental matters since at least Ralph Klein's time.Larshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07915440101940467640noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8524070301101240472.post-75545090936333737772011-09-21T10:26:49.621-07:002011-09-21T10:26:49.621-07:00As an Albertan, I think the criminally stupid Cons...As an Albertan, I think the criminally stupid Conservative cuts to Environment Canada are designed to keep Canadians ignorant about how badly the Arctic environment is going to be destroyed by the oil rush now starting there, and ignorant of the poisoning of Alberta by the tarsands (as Albertans called them for many years).<br /><br />Likewise the muzzling of scientists who are employed to serve the public, not the Conservatives who lick the oil companies' boots every chance they get.<br /><br />Here's an article about muzzling scientists in the US and Canada:<br /><br />http://wcel.org/resources/environmental-law-alert/who%E2%80%99s-better-muzzling-scientists-canada-or-usHolly Stickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01137842937086115228noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8524070301101240472.post-50068038809460039972011-09-20T15:49:23.157-07:002011-09-20T15:49:23.157-07:00BTW, why is it that once they've got power and...BTW, why is it that once they've got power and motivation, "Freedom loving conservatives" tend to produce policies that Stalin would find delightful? <br /><br />Maybe "totalitarian dictatorship" is an inappropriate term of reference. Perhaps Mr. Johnson could elaborate for us on why it's necessary to funnel scientists' speech through the editorial red markers of public relations specialists with no particular knowledge of what they're supposed to be vetting so as to determine what's acceptable for the public ear. There must be some good reason for imitation of failed styles of governance. Are the citizens of Canada easily confused, in need of paternal guidance?dbostromhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17688448471618219440noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8524070301101240472.post-37653065669545796162011-09-20T15:38:40.481-07:002011-09-20T15:38:40.481-07:00Mark Johnson, EC Flack:
This piece is misinformed...Mark Johnson, EC Flack:<br /><br /><i>This piece is misinformed. No science programs were eliminated in the preparation of EC’s plans for the 2011/12 fiscal year. </i><br /><br />Insufficiently subtle, Mr. Johnson, your spin is tripping over its feet. Read carefully; you'll see that nowhere did the student refer to program elimination but instead mentioned specific cuts. Go slower, read more carefully<br /><br />As Mr. Johnson is an official mouthpiece, perhaps he can tell us how much money EC Canada is wasting on flacks monitoring blog comments? I understand every Canadian dollar counts for Mr. Harper; does the PM know his civil servants are expending their effort on creating strawman arguments on foreign blogs? Any official response on that?dbostromhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17688448471618219440noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8524070301101240472.post-56417405169349751132011-09-20T15:33:55.955-07:002011-09-20T15:33:55.955-07:00"No science programs were eliminated"
S..."No science programs were eliminated"<br /><br />Some were cut pretty close to zero eh?<br /><br />Watch the bouncing ballEliRabetthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07957002964638398767noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8524070301101240472.post-76132803709100104012011-09-20T14:37:49.730-07:002011-09-20T14:37:49.730-07:00Mark Johnson says: "No science programs were ...Mark Johnson says: "No science programs were eliminated in the preparation of EC’s plans for the 2011/12 fiscal year".<br /><br />Mr Johnson, can you confirm that the ozone monitoring program will not be cut as described in a recent article in Nature?<br /><br />Also I see from a recent CBC report that "Unions representing scientists and support staff at Environment Canada said between 700 and 800 positions are disappearing across the country. Meteorologists, chemists and biologists are among those facing the axe". <br /><br />I don't see any "spokespersons" facing the axe, do you not think that scientists should be the last to be cut?Ian Forresterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04034328294553186459noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8524070301101240472.post-68619860913171941422011-09-20T14:11:23.569-07:002011-09-20T14:11:23.569-07:00This piece is misinformed. No science programs wer...This piece is misinformed. No science programs were eliminated in the preparation of EC’s plans for the 2011/12 fiscal year. <br /><br />The environment remains a priority for the Government of Canada. EC received funding in the 2011 budget for work in a number of important areas of science, including climate change and adaptation, protecting the environment and health from chemicals and improving water quality in the Great Lakes. <br /><br />We will continue to ensure that Canadians have access to this data in order to support work on adaptation by specific communities and economic sectors. <br /><br />EC is very proud of its strong science foundation and actively encourages its scientists to publish their work and to make their data publically available. This will continue.Mark Johnson, Spokesperson, Environment Canadahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06847747774723657696noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8524070301101240472.post-40594598536245806942011-09-20T14:10:06.873-07:002011-09-20T14:10:06.873-07:00The WUWT spin that I expect to see:
Finally we see...The WUWT spin that I expect to see:<br />Finally we see an honest student confess the truth. It's all just about the money, all these climate scientists only want to get our money for their jobs.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8524070301101240472.post-83819054799195599752011-09-20T12:28:52.931-07:002011-09-20T12:28:52.931-07:00That's a remarkably efficient system: muzzle r...That's a remarkably efficient system: muzzle researchers, then cut 'em. <br /><br />A cynic might say that Harper & Co. have decided to go as directly as possible for monetizing their tar and are going to make sure there's no informed discussion about what happens after the money is in the bank. <br /><br />That's pretty much what's in the cards for the U.S.A. as well, if we're so childish as to let the Tea Party dominate next year's election. We don't have tar, but we've got a lot of other dirt that would be cheaper to dump in our neighbors' yards.dbostromhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17688448471618219440noreply@blogger.com