Alberta Grizzlies

A small group has blocked access to a sour gas well site in southwestern Alberta.

The province's Energy Resources Conservation Board approved the Shell project in March and drilling was supposed to start last week in the Castle wilderness area just north of Waterton National Park.

Residents appealed the decision, saying drilling will disrupt core grizzly bear habitat.

Opponents say Shell should wait for the Alberta Court of Appeal to rule on an appeal of the board's approval before it starts drilling.

Shell spokesperson Larry Lalonde says with more than 50 wells and 200 kilometres of pipeline already in the area, the well won't have much of an impact.

He says the company will take action to minimize the project's impact, such as using existing access roads instead of building new ones and moving rare plants to a different area.
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Controversial Alberta parks legislation put on hold until this spring has now been quietly postponed again, indefinitely.

Environmentalists and legal experts have criticized Bill 29, the Alberta Parks Act, for taking away formal legal protections for Alberta parks. They also said it concentrated too much power in the office of the minister.

When the bill was on the verge of being passed in November, Tourism, Parks and Recreation Minister Cindy Ady suspended debate, saying she would review the concerns and introduce the legislation again this spring, with amendments.

"I have continued to listen to the views of Albertans," Ady wrote in an update posted to her department's website on Friday.

"While I had planned to bring park legislation back this spring, I will spend the time needed to address the main concerns raised by Albertans before moving forward with new legislation."... Read more »