Canada

The Port of Albany is thriving as a major hub for CBR shipments from the Bakken field in North Dakota and Saskatchewan province. But we learn there are limits to further growth after the city slapped a moratorium on expansion to oil sands from Canada

March 17, 2014 - Climate Progress

With cities seeking to involve diverse voices in city-making to get beyond “the usual suspects,” Vancouver urbanists Brent Toderian and Jillian Glover examine how cities in their region are finding new ways to increase civic participation.

March 5, 2014 - Brent Toderian

Ernest Moniz weighs-in on the exponential, and at times, explosive (literally) growth of moving crude oil by rail (CBR). His main point: pipelines are safer than rail. Science magazine editor Marcia McNutt points to pipelines' environmental benefits.

February 24, 2014 - Capital

Vancouver’s reputation as a beautiful “mini-Manhattan” is well documented and well earned. But how did the city manage to fend off regrettable fashions in planning over the years, and how prepared is it to continue its success in the future?

February 18, 2014 - ULI Urban Land Magazine

As housing prices increase on the post-recession wave, many experts are asking people to reconsider the dream of buying and owning a home, especially if that means sinking too deeply in debt or sacrificing mobility.

February 5, 2014 - CBC News

Andrew Cuthbert responds to a few of the recurring accusations leveled against cyclists as posted on the ‘comments’ section of a Vancouver-based news story involving a cyclist-motorist conflict.

February 5, 2014 - Spacing Vancouver

The National Transportation Safety Board called on federal regulators on Jan. 23 to approve several measures in light of a rash of oil train derailments and crude oil explosions as did their Canadian counterparts, the Transportation Safety Board.

January 28, 2014 - The Wall Street Journal

U.S. DOT brokered a deal with energy and rail industries whereby both would take immediate steps to prevent the recent explosions involving the more volatile Bakken crude. While voluntary, actual regulations will take more than a year to approve.

January 20, 2014 - The Wall Street Journal

Some 5,000 properties in the picturesque lakeside town of Port Hope, ON, once home to a nationally owned uranium and radium refinery, will undergo testing for radon and gamma radiation as part of a cleanup effort scheduled to continue until 2022.

January 17, 2014 - The Toronto Star

Call it the Lac-Mégantic effect - the July 6 conflagration that leveled the downtown, killing 47 people, has implications for all jurisdictions where oil and freight trains run. Cities must recognize that rail insurance policies are woefully lacking.

January 14, 2014 - The Wall Street Journal

In the wake of Toronto’s unprecedented ice storm - which saw 300,000 residents loose power for as long as 12 days - Christopher Hume argues that cost-cutting contributed to the extent of havoc wreaked by the city’s under-maintained tree canopy.

January 12, 2014 - The Toronto Star

Jeff Rubins, a Canadian economist with a track record of predictions come to pass, warns that fast increasing rail shipments of crude oil are a ticking time bomb for the North American cities en-route such as Chicago and Toronto.

January 6, 2014 - Maclean's Magazine

Following Canada Post’s announcement of plans to replace urban door-to-door mail service with community mail box nodes, The Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC) cautions that careful planning and design of these retrofits is critical.

January 2, 2014 - Spacing

Petroleum coke or petcoke, similar to coal, is a nasty though salable byproduct of the oil refining process. Produced from refining tar sands crude in Indiana refineries, it is stored in huge piles in Chicago, blowing dust in the Southeast Side.

December 28, 2013 - NPR Morning Edition

Harkening back to the long lines at gas stations that erupted after the 1973 Arab oil embargo, followed by diminishing oil production, US crude oil exports were prohibited. With production booming, energy czar Ernest Moniz may reconsider that policy.

December 17, 2013 - The New York Times - Energy & Environment

Low-income Canadians who depend on subsidized housing will face uncertainty in the coming years as federal funding agreements come to a close. Ottawa has, as of yet, no plans to renew them.

December 16, 2013 - The Globe and Mail

New research by the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) indicates that the percentage of average household income required to cover home payments has increased in the last two quarters as a result of both higher prices and interest rates.

November 30, 2013 - The Huffington Post

A new report by multinational professional services firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) calls the suburban-to-urban movement of Canadian residents and businesses one of the most significant current real estate trends.

November 21, 2013 - The Huffington Post

Amid data showing a dwindling supply of prime Canadian agricultural land, a commencing study seeks to strengthen preservation policies.

November 18, 2013 - The Globe and Mail

Despite federal ‘optimism,’ a new Environment Canada report indicates the country is not on pace to meet 2020 Copenhagen Accord emissions targets. Experts point to weak federal environmental policies, most notably in the oil and gas sector.

October 26, 2013 - The Huffington Post