The February-March issue of Prairie Peaks News is on its way to our subscribers. Not a subscriber yet? Subscribe now!

In this issue:

Critics Fear Disneyfication of B.C. Wilderness

Capitalist with a Soft Spot for Wildlife

Plight of the Pintail Duck

Lois Hole Kept Giving Until the Very End

Compton Petroleum Hearing Update

Daily Insights
Prairie Peaks News correspondent Laura Churchill Jolles gives you a daily perspective on the hearing.

Panel
Prairie Peaks News and CBC Radio are working together to figure out the pros and cons of sour gas well development in Alberta.

Opinion Security Video Cameras.
Prairie Peaks News publisher Leah Lawrence provides opinion on the hearing.

- by Christie McLaren

Whisky’s for drinking.
Water’s for fighting over.
-popularly attributed to Mark Twain

Nowhere is this witty observation more fitting than on the dry, short-grass prairie where the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan and the state of Montana meet. Here the liquid gold isn’t oil – it’s the water of the St. Mary and Milk rivers. more
Not So Far Afield: Skeptic Questions Assurances on Sour Gas warning signs
- opinion by Janet Peace

I’m a suburbanite in McKenzie Lake, in the far southeast corner of Calgary. We chose this area because of these amenities and because there were many families with young children like ours.

But there is another dimension to the environment that could drive us away: a nearby sour gas development. more

Yes Minister

As Alberta readies itself for a November election, many influential cabinet members are retiring. Who will be the new decision-makers?

Prairie Peaks News recently gathered a panel of seasoned political observers – Cindy Chiasson, Don Martin, Brian Bietz, Ken Faulkner – and asked their opinions.
How Many Ski Hills Are Too Many?

skiers
photo courtesy of Jumbo Glacier Resorts

How many ski hills are too many? British Columbians continue to wrestle with this question even though their government has approved a proposal for a major resort proposed for a wild corner in the southeastern part of the province. more
Alberta Dreams of Ice Castles

Ice Hotel Quebec-Canada
photo courtesy of Ice Hotel Quebec Canada copyright Xavier Dachez

Terry Myers’ grand plans for the construction of a frosty seasonal hotel on the shores of Pigeon Lake have been put on ice for this year. more
Crossing the 49th: Arizona Elections Stay Clean

across the 49th
photo courtesy of Meg Vurton-Cahill and High Country News

A view from the United States on the public funding of electoral campaigns.
Uncommon Westerners: Larry Simpson Changes Landscapes

larry simpson
photo courtesy of Larry Simpson

Profile of Larry Simpson, regional director for Alberta of the Nature Conservancy of Canada. more

Conflict of Values at the Cheviot Mine

hinton sign
photo courtesy of Town of Hinton

The long-long contested Cheviot mine will be open by year end, according to investors that’s good news. Environmentalists beg to differ. more

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Three years ago, Adrienne Beattie and Shane Bill bought their first home in a suburban Calgary neighborhood, choosing the new development in the southeast corner of the city for its affordability, the green space, and blooming sense of community. more

Yellowstone to Yukon: Resurrecting North America’s Eden
yellowstone to yukon map photo courtesy of Y2Y

Perhaps it is the uniqueness of this rare landscape that causes Wendy Francis, chair of the Yellowstone-to-Yukon Conservation Initiative, to mince no words in dismissing her project¹s critics. “The idea that logging and mining bring wealth in the Twenty-first Century is a myth… more

Uncommon Westerners: Lorne Taylor Reflects on his Legacy

lorne taylor
photo courtesy of Alberta Environment

An interview with Alberta’s outgoing Environment Minister Lorne Taylor. more

Bunderpass” Could be a Wasteful Legacy

deadman’s flats underpass
photo courtesy of Tony Cevenger

It was supposed to be a shining example of the environmental legacy of the 2002 G8 Summit in Kananaskis Country – a $1.6-million tunnel under the Trans-Canada Highway to facilitate animal migration in a key wildlife corridor.

But what is now derisively being called the “blunderpass” by local residents is being dismissed as a potential waste of money, and an embarrassment that calls into question the whole legacy initiative. more

Universal BSE Testing No Guarantee, Says Federal Official

feedlot
photo courtesy of Joyce Van Konkersgoed

Universal testing of cattle for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), or mad cow disease, creates a false sense of security, says Dr. Darcy Undseth, a BSE specialist with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.

“A negative test means nothing. But consumers would think that a negative test means no BSE.” more

Crossing the 49th: Colorado Snubs Coal for All Things Renewable

across the 49th
photo courtesy of High Country News

Not long after Enron, one of our larger humpty-dumpties, had its great fall, I heard a supporter say he missed its CEO, because “Ken Lay was a visionary. He wanted to cover parts of Texas with wind turbines and export that clean energy to the rest of the country.” more

Alberta Elk Ranchers Anxious Over Border Opening

elk
photo courtesy of Hi-Don Elk Farm of Bluffton

Elk ranchers are split on the opening of the Saskatchewan-Alberta border to elk and deer. more

The Road to La Loche

hinton sign
photo courtesy of CPHN Radio La Loche

La Loche residents look forward to the day when they might drive to Fort MacMurray year-round. more

Prairie Peaks News is an independent, subscriber funded, non-profit print magazine.

december-january cover cover photo by Chris Biegler

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november cover cover photo by Bill Anderson

October Issue
october cover cover photo by Bill Anderson

Prairie Peaks News is an independent, subscriber funded, non-profit newspaper. Help us grow by subscribing today!

Prairie Peaks News is a print and online publication that covers stories about the people, culture and issues that are important to Western Canada.

Our readers are very diverse – from ranchers to people who shop at Mountain Equipment Coop – but they are all interested in the balanced, high-quality rfid journalism and editorial that Prairie Peaks News delivers.

“Each time I leave the city of Calgary, I am inspired by the big sky and natural landscapes that roll out in every direction. Across western Canada we are fortunate, city and country dwellers alike, to have a connection to the land that has been largely lost in many other places. This is important to me – it gives me a stronger sense of place. I also believe this characteristic can and must be preserved in a way that blends and balances the interests of the natural and the developed world. Western Canada must continue to be a place in which both our landscapes and sensible development are promoted – one without the other would make the West much less than it is today. For this reason, I strongly support the efforts of Prairie Peaks News to become a source of balanced information and debate around issues facing development and the environment.”
-Dan Gaynor, Dan Gaynor Consulting, Former President and Publisher of the Calgary Herald

“The environment and it’s natural resources are an essential part of our lives and livelihoods here in western Canada. People, as a result, need a source of reliable information on issues and events that affect these resources. Prairie Peaks News conveys what is needed – an unbiased, straightforward look at the issues pertinent to all western Canadians. As a bonus, it presents this information in a format that will facilitate discussion – even if ultimately, there is disagreement.”
-Janet Peace, Director, Climate Change Central

“Environmental issues are polarizing issues and everyone has a viewpoint. Industry, government and the residents of western Canada need an information source that takes an independent and unbiased approach to the facts available.”
- Ian Murphy, Less Carbon Ltd.