This week Federal Environment Minister Peter Kent has made repeated allegations that environmental groups are “laundering money”. This is a serious charge because according to the federal government’s own website: Money laundering is the process used to disguise the source of money or assets derived from criminal activity.

On April 24, 2012, the federally appointed Joint Review Panel began its second day of hearing oral statements related to the proposed Enbridge Northern Gateway Project in Smithers, British Columbia this week. The review panel has been tasked with assessing the balance of social, economic, and environmental concerns related to the proposed tar sands oil pipeline and it associated marine terminal. Particularly, as is standard with any nationally regulated energy pipeline, the panel must determine if the pipeline serves Canada's national interest.

When I discovered that Enbridge and the University of Calgary have partnered to launch the Enbridge Centre for Corporate Sustainability, I had to glance at my calendar. March 27. Still four days until April Fool's. It would have been a tremendous joke if they were not dreadfully serious.

Enbridge, as most readers are likely aware, is now infamous for their proposed tragedy known as the Northern Gateway pipeline. Designed to transport millions of barrels of tar sands oil to port, it threatens dozens of local watersheds and a fragile coastal ecosystem, as well as the expansion of the environmental catastrophe that is the Alberta tar sands.

The Great Bear Rainforest is one of the last of its kind in the world. That's why so many British Columbians, and others around the globe, have stood up with the region's First Nations to safeguard it.

Together, our voices helped convince decision-makers to commit to saving the Great Bear Rainforest in 2006. But today, on the sixth anniversary of that promise, half of this rare, old-growth forest is still being logged. No matter which way you cut it, protecting 50 per cent of a forest won't save the whole.

We're not about to quit oil cold turkey. Does that mean we should continue with business as usual?

I have been reviewing the hearing transcripts of the federally appointed Joint Review Panel (JRP) addressing the Enbridge Northern Gateway project. For the past few weeks the panel has been holding oral evidenciary hearings. These hearings provide an opportunity for people to provide evidence of a character best represented in the oral form. The panel often uses Aboriginal traditional knowledge as an example of the kind of information these sessions are designed for.

Thus, not surprisingly they have seen a great many Aboriginal presenters. Again not surprisingly, many of these presenters have used Aboriginal terms when describing their connections to their territories and traditions, and a few have even presented entirely in their own language.