Canada

In the immediate aftermath of the Fort McMurray fire, it was considered to be in bad taste to associate the event with climate change. Worse was to suggest that karma had come back to bite the oil sands city in the behind.

If you’re trying to figure out how Alberta’s already hurting budget is going to get battered by the Fort McMurray wildfires, don’t get too bogged down in the reports of massive losses in oil production shutdowns. You’re better off keeping an eye on the way the oil price responds to the drama playing out in the Alberta oil patch.

The federal government is coming up on what will be a litmus test of its commitment to nation-to-nation relations with First Nations and to the environment, say those advocating for the shutdown of the massive BC Hydro development known as Site C in northeastern British Columbia. 

[Editor's note: The Leap Manifesto says: "Since so much of the labour of caretaking - whether of people or the planet - is currently unpaid and often performed by women, we call for a vigorous debate about the introduction of a universal basic annual income."  Following is an article with some cautions about such an income.]

[to go to the link for this article you need to go directly to Ricochet Media]

It’s been a tough month for climate advocates, who at the close of last year would have been justified in feeling Canada had turned a corner on climate change, with even our laggardly politicians starting to grasp its uncompromising scientific realities.

[For the section on climate change and the Leap Manifesto click on 'Read the full article' below and then go to minute 20.35 of the speach.]