RBC and Tar Sands!

[Oscar]

RBC and Tar Sands!

RBC recognized with 2010 GLOBE Award for Environmental Excellence

http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/arch ... c4280.html

TORONTO, March 24 /CNW/ - Royal Bank of Canada (RY on TSX and NYSE) was honoured last night with the GLOBE Foundation's 8th annual 2010 GLOBE Corporate Award for Environmental Excellence for its outstanding achievement in environmental stewardship and corporate-wide approach to sustainability.
"This award reinforces our longstanding track record as a leader in environmental responsibility and sustainability," said Gordon M. Nixon, RBC President and CEO. "We are proud of the scope of our environmental programs and that they have been embraced by our shareholders, clients and employees alike. RBC is committed to continuing our efforts to develop and implement programs, policies, procedures and guidelines that will benefit the communities in which we live and conduct business."
Judged by a panel of industry experts including Françoise Faverjon-Fortin, Vice-President, Infrastructure and Environment, Export Development Canada, and Robert J. D. Page, Professor of Environmental Management & Sustainability at the University of Calgary, the Award was presented to RBC in Vancouver at the GLOBE 2010, International Conference and Trade Fair on Business and the Environment.
This honour adds to a suite of recognition garnered by RBC for programs and performance related to sustainability and corporate responsibility.

MORE:

http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/arch ... c4280.html

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GLOBE FOUNDATION PRESENTS ENVIRONMENTAL LEADERS OF CANADA WITH PRESTIGIOUS GLOBE AWARDS

http://www.exchangemagazine.com/morning ... 10/week12/
Wednesday/032401.htm

Exchange Morning Post - March 24, 2010

VANCOUVER, B.C.– The GLOBE 2010 Welcome Reception had an air of celebration as the GLOBE Foundation announced the winners of the 2010 GLOBE Awards for Environmental Excellence. The awards, now in their 8th edition, are presented to Canadian companies that excel in sustainable business practices, develop progressive technologies and offer outstanding services.

MORE:

http://www.exchangemagazine.com/morning ... 10/week12/
Wednesday/032401.htm

Related Articles:

Vanoc among winners at 2010 Globe awards Vancouver Sun
http://www.vancouversun.com/business/
Vanoc+among+winners+2010+Globe+awards/2719803/story.html

2010 Globe Awards Presented in Vancouver The Vancouver Observer (blog)
http://www.vancouverobserver.com/city/b ... 010/03/24/
2010-globe-awards-presented-vancouver

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Financing of fossil fuels and renewable energy by Canadian banks A report by RainForest Action Network

Read The Report:

http://climatefriendlybanking.com/filea ... als/comms/
mediacontent/reports/profundo_bank_report.pdf

Royal Bank of Canada contribution: See Page 91 – 134

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The Royal Bank on oil and water – 2009 - Council of Canadians

http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=13

Tuesday, March 10th, 2009

The Globe and Mail reports this morning that, “The Rainforest Action Network…staged a demonstration outside the annual meeting (of the Royal Bank of Canada in Vancouver recently) - and, at the same time, another one at RBC’s Toronto headquarters.”

The Council of Canadians joined the Rainforest Action Network for both of these demonstrations (notably organizers Harjap Grewal and Stuart Trew) and intends to do more collaborative work with them in the coming months.

BLUE WATER PROJECT INCOMPATIBLE WITH TAR SANDS INVESTMENTS The article notes that, “The activists say the bank’s status as a prominent Olympics sponsor and its 10-year, $50-million Blue Water philanthropic program (which funds fresh-water projects internationally) is incompatible with its role as a top financier of the Alberta oil sands, which many believe is a significant source of water pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.”

NIXON COULD VISIT FORT CHIPEWYAN
The report also notes, “RAN representatives in the meeting asked RBC chief executive officer Gordon Nixon to come to Fort Chipewyan, in northern Alberta, a community affected by oil sands pollution, to see the situation for himself. At first, Mr. Nixon ignored the request. But when pressed a second time, he told them that while he wouldn’t promise anything, he would consider it.”

NIXON SAYS ENERGY AND WATER ARE NOT SEPARATE “COMMODITIES”
In a November 25, 2008 speech, Nixon said, “All too often, energy and water are treated as separate and unrelated commodities…They’re not. We need water to generate energy. And we need energy to deliver clean water.”

NIXON WORRIES ABOUT A STERNLY WORDED LETTER FROM MAUDE BARLOW Nixon says, “As pressure mounts on the world’s limited water resources, individuals, industries and governments will all have to start managing our shared water resources better. And that means there is a role for business in offering innovative solutions to the challenge. That’s where Canada comes in. Before I get a sternly worded letter from Maude Barlow, I should clarify that I’m not talking about privatizing water here, or exporting Canadian water to the United States. I’m not going to wade into the debate about whether water is a commodity or a human right, or offer an opinion about water policy, or the role of government. But in the last few years, I’ve gone on record advocating for Canada to focus on niche areas in which we can compete globally.”

NIXON SAYS CANADA HAS A ROLE TO PLAY IN A GLOBAL WATER INDUSTRY WORTH $400 BILLION He adds, “Some call this picking winners and losers…Water could well be one of those winners for Canada…Canada is well positioned to develop and commercialize technologies to conserve, reclaim, rehabilitate and purify water. The opportunities are limitless. The global water industry is estimated at $400 billion a year and is expected to increase to $1.6 trillion US in the next ten years.”

NIXON CALLS FOR A NATIONAL WATER STRATEGY Along with a policy framework to address climate change, Nixon says, “We’ll also need a similar, coordinated approach to water in Canada, where a patchwork of overlapping responsibilities is complicated by the lack of a strong, overarching national water strategy and a history of undervaluing the worth of water.”

WEB-LINKS
The Globe and Maill article can be read at http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ ... y/Business

The full text of Gordon Nixon’s speech can be read at http://www.rbc.com/newsroom/2008/1125-nixon.html

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All Out March 3rd – Tell RBC Shareholders: Stop bankrolling tar sands!

Join us for a morning of creative, non-violent direct action culminating in a rally outside the Metro Center at 2 pm to show solidarity with First Nations representatives.

When: morning actions, rally @ 2pm, March 3, 2010
Where: Metro Center, Toronto
On March 3rd, the Royal Bank of Canada will hold its annual general meeting of shareholders’ at the Toronto Metro Convention Center. It’s the one time every year that the bank’s top executives, board and other decision makers gather in the same place to hear from shareholders. This year, we want them to hear from you!
Since 2007 RBC has backed more than $16.9 billion (USD) in loans to companies operating in the tar sands—more than any other bank. Expansion of the tar sands is trampling the rights of Indigenous peoples, destroying globally significant ecosystems, and significantly increasing Canada’s carbon emissions.
Representatives from several First Nations impacted by tar sands expansion will attend the meeting to demand that RBC recognize the right to Free, Prior and Informed Consent for Indigenous communities, and suspend its financial support for tar sands expansion.
Take Action in your area - If you are interested in organizing an action before or at RBC’s AGM, please contact Eriel Deranger eriel@ran.org or Dave Vasey dvasey@ran.org
Check out the Facebook event for more info and updates http://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?ei ... 834&ref=ts

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WATCH: RBC Olympics Tar Sands

http://www.blip.tv/file/3265323/

Rainforest Action Network added a voiceover to Royal Bank of Canada's new "Flame Trail" Olympics commercial. This narrative discusses RBC's lead financing of the dirtiest oil project on Earth- the Alberta tar sands. Since 2007, Royal Bank of Canada has backed more than $16.9 billion (USD) in loans to companies operating in the Alberta tar sands—more than any other bank. Expansion of the tar sands is trampling the rights of Indigenous peoples, destroying globally significant ecosystems and exponentially increasing Canada's carbon emissions. • Learn more at: http://www.ran.org/tarsands • Tell RBC to halt financing of the tar sands: http://ga3.org/campaign/RBC_Letter_Go... • See the original RBC ad: http://adsoftheworld.com/media/tv/rbc... • This transformative remix work constitutes a fair-use of any copyrighted material as provided for in Section 107 of the US copyright law.

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PLAY: Canada’s First Tar Sands Video Game

Like many Canadians from coast to coast, at the Polaris Institute we have become increasingly worried that both Stephen Harper and Michael Ignatieff are stuck in the tar sands. So, we decided to do something about.

TAR NATION – play the game!

http://www.tarsandswatch.org/

In collaboration with Insidious Design we created Tar Nation to allow YOU to help us get Stephen TARper and Michael “Oil” RIGnatieff out of the tar sands.

Take ACTION NOW IN 3 EASY STEPS

1. Play Tar Nation and send a message to Canada’s leaders

2. Join other Tar Nation supporters on facebook – visit the group: Tar Nation - The Video Game!

3. Send this email to 5 friends and encourage them to play Tar Nation

Thanks,

The Polaris Institute TarSandsWatch.org campaign team,

Tony, Joe, Elly, Richard, Tanya and Daniel

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From TARSANDS WATCH website;

http://www.tarsandswatch.org/

Tar Sands Showdown: Guide to Municipal Action Action Guide: Check it out. - Read more
http://www.tarsandswatch.org/tar-sands- ... pal-action

Tar Sands Showdown: Infrastructure and Market Campaign Action Guide: Check it out. - Read more
http://www.tarsandswatch.org/tar-sands- ... t-campaign

Tar Sands Showdown: Building a Blue-Green Alliance in our Communities Action Guide: Check it out. - Read more
http://www.tarsandswatch.org/tar-sands- ... ommunities

WATCH: TAR SANDS BLOW new campaign video! Watch it now!
http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/67 ... n_KEY=1737

Windsor Community Roundtable--A Case Study Find out how one community in Ontario has generated local action and awareness around the tar sands developments. Your community could be next! Check it out
http://www.tarsandswatch.org/windsor-co ... case-study


"TAR SANDS SHOWDOWN" by, Tony Clarke is now available for purchase! Buy it here.
http://www.policyalternatives.ca/public ... s-showdown

Check out Tony Clarke on YouTube talking about the tar sands. Parts 1-5
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=il3SRRwl ... playnext=1

Toxic Trail Exposure: Youth Delegation Tracks Tar Sands in Great Lakes Region A report by the Polaris Institute that summarizes the findings and recommendations of 10 Ontario youth who traveled to Sarnia, Detroit and Windsor in August 2009.
Read the Report
http://www.tarsandswatch.org/files/TarS ... rail_0.pdf

The Polaris Institute has created a series of 10 factsheets on different issues associated with tar sands development
Read the Factsheets
http://www.tarsandswatch.org/tar-sands- ... factsheets

11 Million Litres a Day: The Tar Sands' Leaking Legacy A report from Environmental Defence
Read the Report
http://www.environmentaldefence.ca/repo ... _2008.html

Financing of fossil fuels and renewable energy by Canadian banks A report by RainForest Action Network Read The Report
http://climatefriendlybanking.com/filea ... als/comms/
mediacontent/reports/profundo_bank_report.pdf
Royal Bank of Canada contribution: See Page 91 - 134

Pumped up: How Canada subsidizes fossil fuels at the expense of green alternatives KAIROS released a report on federal government subsidies to the oil and gas sector, including the tar sands.
Read More
http://www.tarsandswatch.org/files/PumpedUpInsides3.pdf

Federal Government Missing in Action on Most Destructive Project on Earth – the Tar Sands [February 2008] A report from Environmental Defence highlighting the downstream effects of tar sands development. Read More
http://www.environmentaldefence.ca/reports/pdf/
TarSands_TheReport.pdf

Taming the Tempest: A report from the Parkland Institute proposing "An Alternate Development Strategy for Alberta"

Read more (URL Pending. Ed.)