Class Review: Tar Sands Protest Video

Today we view a video from MTV where a camera crew followed a young female activist (I am terrible at remembering names) on a trip to Edmonton and the Alberta Oil Sands. One thing I noticed in the interviews with various oil companies and ministers was that they all felt that there was no possibility for environmental threat from the oil sands project and were quick to mention they had not seen any solid proof of chemical and toxins leaching into the Mackenzie river or other water systems. However the young activist had spoken with a few scientists who stated that there was a threat, and local people who told of how they saw rare cancers popping up in co-workers at refining plants and how fish in local streams were growing tumors and had sores on their bodies. The activist asked Albertan minister - who was involved with the provinces technological development ans such - that should a it be found that a tailing pond or facility was leaking, would it be shut down and dealt with? His answer was "Isn't that a silly question?" What on earth was silly about it? Was he meaning to say "No duh, we'll deal with it!" or "Why? Its a waste of money?". Either way many local people and Edmonton ciizens had mixed feelings about the oil sands project.