REPORT: The Bitumen Cliff
Bitumen Development Poses Critical Challenges for Canada
February 21, 2013
OTTAWA—A failure to carefully regulate the Canadian bitumen industry is putting Canada on a dangerous economic and environmental trajectory, says a new report released today by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA) and the Polaris Institute.
Read moreBig Oil’s Oily Grasp
The making of Canada as a Petro-State and how oil money is corrupting Canadian politics
December 4, 2012 Ottawa – A new report entitled “Big Oil’s Oily Grasp - The making of Canada as a Petro-State and how oil money is corrupting Canadian politics” released today by the Ottawa-based Polaris Institute found that six main oil industry players, including Enbridge and TransCanada, met with federal cabinet ministers 53 times between September 2011 and September 2012, the period when the business-friendly Bill C-38 – which guts environmental legislation - was being designed. During this same time period, only one meeting between a federal cabinet minister and an environmental organization took place (Greenpeace met with Joe Oliver in March, 2012).
Read moreProtect the Commons, Not the Banks!
Text & reflection co-authored by Tony Clarke of the Polaris Institute about how the recent Rio+20 and G20 pose a strategic challenge to social movements and civil society groups regarding the economic and environmental future of the world.
Corporate Profile of Enbridge
(Profile updated in 2012)
Updated spill data:
According to Enbridge’s own data, between 1999 and 2010, across all of the company’s operations there were 804 spills that released 161,475 barrels (approximately 18.95 million litres, or 5 million gallons) of hydrocarbons into the environment.
May 04 2010 - Press Release
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Land Grabs in Africa - Fueling Water and Climate crises
Two short reports on land grabs intersecting with water and climate justice produced by the Polaris Institute and the Oakland Institute.
Read moreUncle Slim: The World's Richest Man
We've all heard about Uncle Sam but now it's time to learn about Uncle Slim. In a world of rising inequalities between rich and poor, Mexico is one of the most unjust countries—a place where a small political and economic elite controls much of the power while more than half the population lives in poverty. The main protagonist in this club of power brokers is Carlos Slim Helú who, according to Forbes Magazine’s annual rankings, is the world’s wealthiest person.
Corporations, Climate and the UN
November 24, 2011 - In time for COP 17 in Durban, South Africa, the Polaris Institute has prepared a report outlining how multinational corporations and their lobbyists have infiltrated the United Nations and are influencing the outcomes of climate negotiations. The report uncovers and describes where corporations influence the United Nations in the build up to and during climate change negotiations and how this corporate interest is the driving force behind the preferred market based initiatives that are emerging from the UNFCCC process.
Boiling Point
Today Phil Fontaine, the National Chief of the AFN, Tony Clarke, the Executive Director of Polaris Institute and the Canadian Labour Congress released a publication on the water crisis facing First Nation communities in Canada. Boiling Point, written by the Polaris Institute, showcases 6 First Nation communities that have and continue to face water crises including contaminated source, well and tap water and long-standing boil water advisories.
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