MONTREAL—At first glance, Chief Theresa Spence — the hunger-striking Attawapiskat leader who has become the de facto face of the Idle No More movement — and Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois — the fiercely articulate Quebec student leader who was cast in a similar role last spring — have little in common.
The controversial use of hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking," that is
behind the country’s natural gas boom has come under scrutiny in the new
Hollywood drama, "Promised Land," and met stiff resistance in New York
state, where a four-year moratorium against the process could soon
expire. Supporters say fracking is essential to U.S. energy
independence, a way to revitalize depressed rural areas with new mining
jobs and gas projects. But opponents warn that hundreds of millions of
gallons of chemically treated water used in the process will pollute
drinking water supplies and agricultural fields. New research by the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the University of
Colorado say methane — a potent greenhouse gas — may be escaping from
gas sites at much higher rates than previously thought. To dive into
this firestorm of debate, today we host a debate with two supporters of
fracking and two opponents. We are joined by Kate Hudson, Watershed
Program director at Riverkeeper, New York’s clean water advocate; Phelim
McAleer, a filmmaker who produced a pro-fracking documentary called
"FrackNation"; Daniel Simmons, director of state of regulatory affairs
at the Institute for Energy Research; and Mayor Matt Ryan of Binghamton,
New York, who is a former professor of environmental law and outspoken
opponent of fracking.
Education Minister Laurel Broten will impose contracts on public school teachers under the minority Liberal government’s controversial Bill 115 before classes resume Monday, the Star has learned.