It’s time to speak out for nature and democracy | Pembina Institute

It’s time to speak out for nature and democracy | Pembina Institute: "Through Bill C-38, the Harper government will repeal the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, and replace it with a new law that allows cabinet to override the decisions of the supposedly arms-length National Energy Board, fast-track environmental reviews to speed up approvals of infrastructure projects and dramatically narrow the definition of ‘environmental effects’ to be considered in environmental reviews.

The net result is weaker standards for environmental review across the country and a reliance on a patchwork of less comprehensive provincial assessment laws. In other words: a huge setback for environmental protection. "

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How high priced oil is changing our lives - Moneyville.ca

Former CIBC World Markets economist Jeff Rubin sees persistently high oil prices changing our assumptions about economic growth. ( May 9, 20120) Nick Kozak

How high priced oil is changing our lives - Moneyville.ca: "we’re going to see tremendous public pressure for spending on public transit,” Rubin predicted "

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Toronto News: James: Fight for more transit or face failure - thestar.com

Toronto News: James: Fight for more transit or face failure - thestar.com: " “There’s an unprecedented transit deficit resulting from the past 25 years of inaction. (Metrolinx) has been talking (quietly) for four plus years. We must create a sense of urgency.”

Urgency and desperation. Growth and development gallop ahead, mobility needs increase, delays in transit improvements multiply and solutions stall on the pages of reports and visionary documents.

Meanwhile, TTC ridership is at record levels, approaching 500 million a year; GO Transit is at record pace, hitting 50 million passengers a year.

Gridlock is a daily reality, with commuting times now 81 minutes a day."

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New study finds Toronto-area drivers would pay to expand rapid transit and beat gridlock | Pembina Institute

New study finds Toronto-area drivers would pay to expand rapid transit and beat gridlock | Pembina Institute: "TORONTO — Drivers in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) are willing to pay for alternatives to commuting on congested roads five days a week, according to a new transportation study released by the Pembina Institute"

Cars no good for city transportation

Global gridlock: How some cities tame it while others grind to a halt - The Globe and Mail: "I have spent three years researching the state of public transport around the globe for a book, and nothing I've seen makes me believe the private automobile has any future as a form of urban mass transit. From Lagos to Los Angeles, we're reaching a crisis when it comes to ever-worsening gridlock. (Congestion in the Toronto-Hamilton region, which some experts rank the worst on the continent, is now estimated to cost the regional economy $6-billion a year.)"

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74% in Toronto area support small sales tax hike if money goes to transit: poll - The Globe and Mail

74% in Toronto area support small sales tax hike if money goes to transit: poll - The Globe and Mail: "Residents of the Greater Toronto Area overwhelmingly support a local sales tax dedicated to building public transit and other infrastructure, a new poll suggests."

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The Age of Cheap Oil Has Ended | Peak Oil News and Message Boards

The Age of Cheap Oil Has Ended  |  Peak Oil News and Message Boards: "One of the first impacts of increasing oil scarcity has begun to manifest – food prices are rising. Industrial food production is inextricably linked to the price of oil because it is so energy intensive. It is not only about how food is planted and harvested but also in how vast amounts of food are shifted across vast distances, often inter-continentally. Simply put, food has become just another industrial commodity, inextricably linked to other commodity cycles."

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