We do NOT need more oil extraction

As most of the world acknowledges, we are in the midst of a climate emergency. Oceans are slowly and inexorably rising, climate is visibly changing, extreme weather events are occurring with increasing frequency and intensity. While there is some slight disagreement about how much of this is a naturally-occurring cycle and how much is caused by human activity in burning fossil fuels, there is no doubt that human-produced greenhouse gases are a serious acclerant, if not the root cause, of the rising temperature of the planet. Many nations are already in the process of changing their energy sources to less-polluting or non-polluting renewables such as wind, solar, geothermal, and hydroelectric. Even nuclear power, with its attendant long-term storage and disposal problems, is now accepted by many as a better alternative to fossil fuels.

In this context, the idea of increasing the production of bitumen, and the building of new pipeline (and their inevitable leaks - see attached map) should not even be seriously considered. Canada will need to follow the lead of other countries in reducing and ultimately eliminating our extreme dependence on fossil fuels.