July 31, 2020 - French colossal fossil Total sent a shockwave through the Alberta oilpatch Wednesday with the announcement that it is writing off C$9.3 billion in assets in the tar sands/oil sands, including $7.3 billion in the Fort Hills mine, which opened just 2½ years ago, and the Surmont thermal oilsands project.
Zurich Insurance Group has decided not to renew coverage of the Trans Mountain pipeline, according to a media report.
The news comes roughly a year after the large Swiss insurance company declared it would reject companies that operate “purpose-built” transportation infrastructure for oilsands products, including pipelines.
David Gooderham describes a hearing on July 7 at the BC Court of Appeal that was likely the first time in Canada that detailed evidence of the gravity of the unfolding climate peril has been presented in a courtroom.
B.C. recorded its deadliest month ever for illicit drug overdoses as fatalities from increasingly toxic street drugs continue to spike during the pandemic.
In June, 175 people died from illicit drug overdoses across the province, up from the previous record high of 171 fatalities set in May, the BC Coroners Service reported Thursday.
British Columbia Premier John Horgan took credit Thursday for pushing the rest of the country to endorse a new $1.1-billion federally funded paid sick leave program to help Canadians avoid spreading COVID-19 at their jobs.
A $19-billion “safe restart agreement” has been reached with the provinces and territories, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced earlier in the day, meant to fund efforts to combat the coronavirus pandemic for the next six to eight months.
