Huffington Post Canada (blog):
Maxime Bernier, Minister of State (Small Business and Tourism) Critics of Alberta’s oil sands development have been saying for years that it should be scaled down, stopped, or at the very least highly taxed and heavily regulated to help contain its effects on the environment.
A more recent criticism, popularized by the leader of the NDP, Thomas Mulcair, is that the oil sands are harming the manufacturing sectors of Ontario and Quebec by pushing up the value of the dollar – the so-called Dutch Disease.
These critics are wrong on both counts.
I recently visited the newly built pilot plant of Gradek Energy in Montreal, a small business founded by Quebec entrepreneur Thomas Gradek. He is one of many entrepreneurs and researchers across the country who are working on innovative solutions to deal with the environmental consequences of exploiting the oil sands.