Ian T. D. Thomson and Lina Pulido On January 19, graduate students from the School of Public Policy & Governance (SPPG) and the Department of Geography and Planning took part in the 2018 Municipal Policy Action Case Competition (MPACC) at the University of Toronto. MPACC is an annual student-led case competition geared towards tackling problems…
Author: Ian T. D. Thomson
Bioharvesting: A Potential Solution for Improving the Toronto Harbour’s Water Quality
Ian T. D. Thomson The Toronto Harbour area is contaminated. Though frequently used for various recreational activities, such as boating, swimming and fishing, since 1986 the federal government has designated it an Area of Concern (AOC) due to issues with water quality and environmental health. The source of these issues? Storm water overflows mixing with…
A Radioactive Policy: What to Do with High-level Nuclear Waste
Ian T. D. Thomson The world of nuclear energy generation presents an interesting paradox. With the USSR connecting the first nuclear power plant to the electricity grid in 1954, many applaud nuclear for being a clean, cheap, abundant and non-C02 emitting source of energy generation. Yet there remains a fear of nuclear meltdowns and of…
Down the Cylinder Part 2: The National Energy Board and pipeline regulation
Ian T.D. Thomson My last pipeline explainer left us on a policy cliff-hanger. Pipelines are crucial to Canada’s economy and energy infrastructure. As the primary mode of transportation for resources, they connect our exports to the United States. The history of pipelines in Canada dates back over 150 years, with some of the first pipeline…
Down the Cylinder: A Rundown on Canadian Pipelines
Ian T. D. Thomson Near the end of 2016, pipelines were at the top of everyone’s agenda. The Trudeau government approved two major pipeline projects in Canada— Kinder Morgan’s TransMountain and Enbridge’s Line 3. Environmental and Indigenous activists in North Dakota proclaimed victory as the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline was halted with plans…
Endangering Extinction: Assessing Canada’s effort for vulnerable populations
Ian T. D. Thomson A new report by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) reveals that nearly two-thirds of all wildlife will be eliminated by 2020. While many have criticized the organization’s statistical methods for obtaining this grand conclusion (i.e. the study has been said to not adequately represent species in South America), the report’s main…
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