Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Alberta Oil Sands & The Great Lakes Basin

Oct 8: The Program on Water Issues at the Munk Centre for International Studies, University of Toronto held a conference today (October 8) entitled, How the Oil Sands Got to the Great Lakes Basin: Pipelines, Refineries and Emissions to Air and Water. A record of the conference proceedings, including questions and answers, will be uploaded to the Program on Water Issues website following the event.

The conference announcement indicates that refineries in the Great Lakes Basin are rapidly expanding to accommodate crude oil from the Alberta oil sands. The conference is intended to provide an opportunity, in a university setting, to inform public opinion about the impacts of refinery expansion in the Basin, drawing on data analysis, shared information and public discussion. Emphasis will be placed on the cumulative effect of refinery expansions on water quality, air quality and human and non-human downwind communities in the Basin. The conference will provide a bilateral opportunity for interactive public comment and dialogue from experts involved in a wide range of disciplines. The conference begins with a presentation of the Conference Paper by the author, journalist David Israelson. Panel members representing government, environmental sciences, law, non-government organizations, academia, industry and the business community will share points of view on issues relating to the refinery expansion.

Access the Program on Water Issues website for complete information (
click here). Access the Conference Paper (click here).

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