Happy Canada Day

Someone help me understand how a country as wealthy and educated as Canada could possible elect a group of people who would make a decision like this.Here is a link to the research facility's home page and here is a link to a summary of the work they did in 2010.Basically, the government intends to spend $50 million dollars to close a one of a kind world class research facility that costs $2 million/yr to run...and throw away 42 yrs of research history.WTF? Is fresh water not important any more? Of all the things that our trillion dollar economy could do, you would think this would be one of them.And happy Canada Day.

WOW! What a great research facility! How unique to be able to manipulate whole ecosystems to study ecological effects.from the article:

quote:

---

Perhaps, as Canada’s scientific community has suggested, the government is unwilling to do so because it has no desire to see the centre saved. After all, the ELA’s findings are often inconvenient for supporters, including the government, of the aggressive development of the Alberta oilsands.

---

It is not surprising that big money seems to be behind the decision. It is also not too surprising (although very disappointing) that the U.S. may have a hand in this. U.S. economic impact $521 billionThat $521 billion should cover the $50 million in cleanup costs, yes? This site doesn't seem to address the economic impact to Canada, but it says that the sands supply 1.4 million barrels per day to the U.S., which at a conservative estimate of $75 per barrel equals over $38 billion annually. With the expectation that it will increase substantially in the near future.Even so, it still doesn't make much sense ... if it is a government funded research facility, they could just control research projects and focus on projects that aid in the development and restoration of the oilsands. The website referenced above seems to have a lot of reference to the environmental responsibility that the project involves. That means they want to know best how to restore the land and reduce environmental impact, right? Maybe just rhetoric ...As to the original question I have no idea. It has always puzzled me as to how people can be so extremely short sited - not looking to the future and forgetting the past so easily - and so readily manipulated by the media and political propaganda.Oh, and happy Independence Day

I just gotta ask - Do they have the 4th of July in Canada?Moose

Sure makes it hard to keep from becoming a cynic. Truly discouraging.

Well we used to but we sold it for a case of beer and an extra April 1st.

Since no one cares about Canada... - Oni

We do. It's right between the 3rd and the 5th.We slid into our independence so casually that it's hard to pin it down to a specific date. We celebrate July 1st as the day some guys signed something that apparently had some significance. "Canada Day" makes a shorter title.

I think that 'The day some guys signed something that apparently had some significance-day' is WAY better.