August 20, 2014 The Editors The Toronto Star 1 Yonge St. Toronto, Ontario Dear Sir/Madam Re: “Asleep at the safety switch – August 20. While the Transportation Safety Board has unquestionably provided a superb technical analysis of the Lac-Megantic disaster, …
Lac-Megantic one year later: Few real changes in safety rules after Canada’s worst rail disaster of the past century
July 3, 2014 This coming weekend marks the first anniversary of the Lac-Megantic rail disaster. In the early hours of July 6th, 2013, an unattended train of 73 car-loads of crude oil from the Bakken shale formation ran away and …
Le Québec, l’Ontario, l’électricité et les changements climatiques : l’heure de revoir les liens?
Pierre-Olivier Pineau, HEC Montréal Mark Winfield, Université York Toutes les provinces canadiennes ont des interconnexions entre leur réseau électrique et celui de leurs voisins. Ces interconnexions permettent d’exporter de l’électricité en période de surplus, et d’en importer au besoin. En …
The 2014 Ontario Election Outcome: The Electoral Politics of Economic Transitions.
June 13, 2014 Published in the Toronto Star, June 16th, 2014 Like many I was surprised at the strength of the Liberal victory in last night’s election (although attendees at the CPSA meeting two weeks ago will know I was …
Ontario, Quebec, Electricity and Climate Change: Time for a new Relationship? Published in the Ottawa Citizen June 23, 2014
Pierre-Olivier Pineau, HEC Montreal Mark Winfield, FES, York University. All Canadian provinces have interconnections between their electricity systems and those of their neighbouring jurisdictions. These interconnections enable them to export electricity to their neighbours when they have surpluses, or import …
“Election debate avoids nuclear dialogue,” Letter to Editor, Published in the Toronto Star, June 4, 2014
June 1, 2014 The Editors The Toronto Star 1 Yonge St. Toronto, Ontario Dear Sir/Madam, It says a great deal about the depths to which the quality of our political discussions have sunk when in the midst of an election …
Sustaining Ontario’s Environment and Economy: Some food for thought in the 2014 election
Many observers of the current Ontario election have highlighted the lack of substance in the platforms of all four major parties. In the cases of energy issues and the environment the platforms are most notable for what they don’t say. …
Energy, the Environment and the Ontario 2014 Election: The Platforms vs What Needs to Happen May 2014
Issue What Needs to Happen Green Party NDP PC Liberal Energy/ Electricity Defer nuclear refurbishments pending completion of an independent, external, public review of likely costs and costs of alternatives (i.e. conservation, renewables and storage, natural gas, hydro-imports from Quebec).Phase …
Ontario’s not-so-green election: What Needs to Happen vs. the Platforms
May 28th, 2014 Following up my blog yesterday on the Ontario election and environment and energy issues (http://marksw.blog.yorku.ca/2014/05/26/ontarios-not-so-green-election/), I’ve prepared a table comparing what needs to happen in the key areas of Electricity/Energy; Urban Sustainability; Air/Water/Waste; Natural Resources and the …
Ontario’s not-so-green election published in the Hamilton Spectator, June 3, 2014; Toronto Star June 5, 2014
With the leaders’ debate complete and the 2014 election platforms of all four major parties now published, those looking for inspiration and new ideas around the environmental and economic challenges facing Ontario are likely to be disappointed. Green has not …