Yang Gu's Blog

The National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy released a report on water use, which states that Canada’s natural resources sectors use about four litres of water for every litre used in all sectors combined. One of the Table’s recommendations was using “economic incentives” to promote wiser water use. (1)

CBC News Blog posed the question to its reader. The more popular comments on the blog had similar overall ideas: increase water fees for oilsands but not for the agricultural sector. (2)

The little sympathy for the oil sands, compared to the agricultural sector, shows the effect a corporate sustainability advantage, or rather, lack thereof. While both industry use water heavily, agricultural water use is considered a necessity and therefore acceptable. Meanwhile, the oil sands
not only strike the public as a purely for-profit industrial venture, but it’s link to oil and carbon emissions makes the public view it in a negative light when it comes to environmental issues.

The oilsands are trying to remedy this PR situation. Suncor, for example, is advertising its soil reclamation project in the tar sands (see
their Youtube video). However, it seems this sustainability has yet to see much result.

(video source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwlvG85QdA0)

References.

(1) “Water fee hike for industry recommended.” CBC News. 17 Nov 2011. Accessed 17 Nov 2011. <http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2011/11/17/pol-water-ntree.html?cmp=rss>.

(2)”Should farms and oilsands pay more for water?” CBC News Your Community.  17 Nov 2011. Accessed 17 Nov 2011. <http://www.cbc.ca/news/yourcommunity/2011/11/should-farms-and-oilsands-pay-more-for-water.html>.