1. Airport finances remain secret
2. Line 9 lawsuit
3. Environmental Summit
4. Response to fracking resolution
Airport finances remain secret
Tradeport president Frank Scremin says the airport’s audited financial statements are “competitive information” and won’t be made public as was done for several years. He was responding to questions drafted by Ancaster businessman Michael Desnoyers and put by Brenda Johnson at the beginning of last week’s meeting of the city’s Airport Implementation Task Force. Scremin said the earlier releases and an annual public meeting required “a considerable amount of energy and resources” and Tradeport “has reallocated those resources”.
“We consider the information contained in our audited financial statements to be private,” said Scremin. “We operate in a very competitive region in a very competitive industry.”
In response to a second question from Desnoyers, Scremin said no dividends were paid out in 2013 and stated that he believed “that dividend issues do require council approval.”
Line 9 lawsuit
The Chippewas of the Thames First Nation have launched a court challenge of the Line 9 pipeline approval by the National Energy Board. They cite a “failure to consult and accommodate their potentially impacted Aboriginal and Treaty rights” and point to the age of the pipeline, the increase in volumes shipped and the addition of diluted bitumen to the pumped materials. “What the courts have stated in numerous decisions is that the Crown has a duty to consult First Nations when their rights may be potentially impacted by the Crown’s decision,” said Chief Joe Miskokomon. “We are not going away and part of our fate rests with this appeal.”
And any Enbridge plans to use Line 9 to export bitumen through the Montreal to Portland Maine pipeline are facing a tar sands moratorium imposed by the South Portland municipality.
Environmental summit
A city-organized “environmental summit” is set for Earth Day at Mohawk College. The multiple sessions and workshops in the day long event feature a range of local speakers including Hazel Breton from the Hamilton Conservation Authority, Justin Jones from Yes We Cannon and Sara Mayo from the Social Planning and Research Council. There’s also a panel including the president of the Chamber of Commerce and the executive director of Environment Hamilton. Tickets are $30 (or $15 for students) and include breakfast and lunch.
Response to fracking resolution
City council’s call for a moratorium on fracking has received official responses from both senior levels of government. Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne sent council assurances that the province is “committed to ensuring that all oil and gas related drilling and production activities are conducted safely without detriment to the public and the environment.” She also noted Ontario is “actively reviewing the adequacy of our existing legislation.”
The federal response came from the “executive correspondence officer” to Prime Minister Stephen Harper and said that the city council resolution “has been carefully reviewed by this office”.